Political Participation in the CEE Societies: From the Optimism of Accession to EU to Euroscepticism

Abstract

Social and political movements in several countries from the Central and Eastern Europe voice dissatisfaction with concern to political elites, parliamentary decisions, and governmental policies. Beyond dissatisfaction, students of the democratization processes in the post-communist countries from the Central and Eastern Europe identify profound shifts toward illiberal models of democracy, profound political corruption and state-capture as well as legislations aimed to weaken the rule of law and authority of basic democratic institutions, the rise of populist and nationalist political parties, and the deepening of Euroscepticism. This panel seeks to explore contexts and characteristics, mechanisms and processes of political participation in the post-communist societies from the eastern half of Europe three decades after the fall of the iron curtain.