Suchergebnisse

Vor dem Hintergrund der strukturellen Veränderungen in der Weltwirtschaft und der Probleme beim Übergang zu demokratischen Regierungsformen haben Spanien, Portugal und Griechenland - die südeuropäischen 'newly industrialized countries' - in den 70er und 80er Jahren eine sehr erfolgreiche Anpassungspolitik verfolgt. Im Unterschied zu den RGW-Staaten hat die demokratische Regierungsform ein Zurückdrängen politisch destabilisierender Kräfte, ein flexibles Reagieren auf die negativen Auswirkungen der Ölkrise und eine wettbewerbspolitische Konsolidierungspolitik ermöglicht. (SWP-Bmt)

To interpret the responses of Greece, Portugal, and Spain to changes in the international political economy over the past decade, I would like to borrow eclectically from the conceptual frameworks developed by both Ellen Comisso and Peter Katzenstein. From the former, I take the stress on the centrality of politics and choice and the notion that state structures create the possibility for a course of action without determining the action itself. From the latter, I retain the general proposition that during periods of hegemonic decline those possibilities for choice widen and include the option of changing state structure itself. To these I would add that the nature of options, the flexibility of response they imply, and the realm of choice itself depend heavily on the level of development of a particular state and civil society as well as on their relationship with one another. The more negative and less reinforcing the relationship, the more the respective needs of civil society and state will conflict. The greater the conflict, the more circumscribed the range of options available to political actors. In the case of the southern European newly industrializing countries (NICs), the changing articulation between civil society and the state and the external pressures influencing it inform both the evolution of domestic structures and the policy choices of elites within them.

A concluding chapter notes that the polarization & instability once characteristic of Portugal, Spain, & Greece have been replaced by stable, democratic two-party political systems, & Italy's former "polarized pluralism" has evolved into a very different democratic system in spite of continuing party fragmentation. Politics in Southern Europe have become very similar to that found in older democracies of Western Europe; however, it is contended that the mixed patterns evident in the new consolidated democracies cannot be explained by a simplistic socioeconomic determinist model. Rather, macrolevel cultural, economic, & social-structural factors have had a significant impact, & the nature/timing of change was neither unilinear nor attached to shifts in the social structure. The multiple factors that brought about political transformation in Spain, Portugal, & Greece are examined, along with the nature of the radical & abrupt transformation of the Italian party system. The relationship between democratization & parties, & between socioeconomic modernization & parties, is discussed. All four southern European democracies are said to be developing in line with their own internal dynamics. J. Lindroth

An introductory chapter notes that this volume takes up where The Politics of Democratic Consolidation: Southern Europe in Comparative Perspective (Gunther, Diamandouros, & Puhle Hans-Jurgen) left off by looking at how democratic consolidation has affected politics in Greece, Italy, Portugal, & Spain. Special attention is given to the characteristics of key governmental institutions; the organization, dynamics, & strategies of political parties; the nature of electoral politics; & the interrelationship between parties & the social structure. The contributors also consider theoretical issues related to democratic consolidation, including the concept of "leapfrogging" development; the relationship between socioeconomic development & democracy; & the impact on the processes of consolidation of historical legacies as well as the different trajectories followed by each country. Three working hypotheses are: (1) socioeconomic development & democratic consolidation are intimately linked & mutually reinforcing; (2) democratic persistence is capable of accommodating change; & (3) the combined result of democratic consolidation & socioeconomic development in southern Europe resembles many features associated with western European democracies. The book's framework is described & a brief synopsis of each chapter is included. J. Lindroth

IntroduzioneIl saggio si propone tre obiettivi tra loro connessi: collocare l'evoluzione delle democrazie dell'Europa sud-orientale nel quadro teorico degli studi sulla democratizzazione; trarre da tali esperienze elementi utili allo studio comparato dei processi di democratizzazione; e valutare in maniera critica le rappresentazioni della regione che impediscono di formulare giudizi più obiettivi sui tentativi democratici di questi paesi e sulle loro probabilità di successo. Cercheremo di affrontare i temi più generali dando, allo stesso tempo, risposta a due domande specifiche: innanzi tutto, quali sono le caratteristiche che distinguono il processo di democratizzazione avvenuto nell'Europa sud-orientale e quali sono le differenze rispetto ad altre esperienze analoghe, nell'Europa centro-orientale, meridionale o altrove? In secondo luogo, cosa spiega queste differenze? Per cominciare, però, ci si consenta una breve digressione teorica.