Suchergebnisse

This article focuses on the analysis of the institutionalization of party systems. The objects of the analysis are four party systems of post-communist countries – Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia. To assess the degree of institutionalization, three quantitative criteria are used: electoral volatility, the effective number of parties and the parliamentary age of parties. The main aims of the analysis are to compare aforementioned party systems' degree of institutionalization and simultaneously confirm the assumption that post-communist party systems are in a far more heterogeneous category than is often suggested. At first, the article defines and explains the institutionalization of party systems and uncovers the possibilities of its quantitative assessment. Then, the level of institutionalization of Bulgarian, Croatian, Romanian and Slovenian party systems is evaluated. There are two main conclusions. First, the institutionalization of a party system in the case of Slovenia and Croatia is on a considerably higher level than in the cases of Bulgaria and Romania, although there is some positive progress in the case of Romania in the last five years. Second, common trends, connected with institutionalization and often mentioned as overall, don't have a strong reliance on empirical measures.

The European Union defined itself as a global leader in the promotion and development of renewable energy sources. The European Union initiated crucial changes in renewable energy policies in its Member States. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive analysis of policy debate and policy outputs adopted by the European Union and by the Czech Republic over a fourteen-year period (2004-2018). We investigate how the Czech Republic's domestic policy on renewable energy sources has reacted to EU-level policy norms, strategies and institutional developments. There are different theories used to explain differentiated processes of Europeanization of domestic structures. One of them, the institutionalist approach reveals how the European Union effect is filtered and mediated through pre-existing domestic institutions, rules, norms and political cultures. We demonstrate that Czech policy makers implemented crucial EU-level policy norms to the national legislative framework, but these norms have not been fully internalized by political actors and society. Thus, the promotion of renewable energy sources in the Czech Republic can be considered as a direct effect of policy development at the EU level, not as output of autonomous Czech policy debate. It poses certain risk for the future development of renewable energy sources policy support.

Party Systems in East Central Europe maps the key historical periods and turning points in the development of the party system in this East Central Europe. This book also provides political analysis of the central issues related to party politics, including the ties of political parties to broader social processes, the operation of parties within governments, and the policies that the parties represent and enforce