Suchergebnisse

THE AUTHORS ASSESS HUNGARY'S TRANSITION FROM COMMUNISM TO DEMOCRACY AND NOTE RELATIVE SUCCESS CHARACTERIZED BY MULTI-PARTY ELECTIONS, A PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT WITH A CLEAR DIVISION OF POLITICAL FUNCTIONS, FOREIGN INVESTMENT, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PRIVATE SECTOR. THEY ATTRIBUTE THIS SUCCESS, IN PART, TO THE REFORM EXPERIENCE OF THE COMMUNIST ERA. THEY CONCLUDE THAT FURTHER PROGRESS IS DEPENDENT ON THE INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT, AS WELL AS ON THE SUCCESS WITH WHICH NEW GOVERNMENTS TACKLE PROBLEMS OF PROPERTY OWNERSHIP, POPULAR CONSULTATION, AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT.

Civil wars, military coups, & the demise of multiparty states weigh heavily on the performance of African public authorities & the smooth functioning of the body politic. At the local level, political & demographic changes also exceed expectations. Administrators are unprepared to deal with the vast numbers of migrants who are attracted to the burgeoning cities. At the same time, agencies are constantly reorganized & bureaucratic continuity is minimal. Thus, residents are forced to meet political needs through their own efforts, & there has been an increasing Africanization of the polity, as seen in the proliferation of traditional authority figures who adapt their roles as chiefs or patrons to the modern Ur marketplace, & a proliferation of organizations & networks that serve as interest groups or dispute-settlement mechanisms in place of formal governmental institutions. These features can no longer be considered deviations from a prescribed norm; they are an organic part of the political process. Today they account for much of the stability & continuity in Africa's Ur political systems. Modified HA.