Establishing representation in post-Soviet societies: change in mass and elite attitudes toward democracy and the market, 1992–1995

Abstract

Competitive elections and a competitive party system are two institutions presumed to promote responsive government and democracy. Building on a survey design conceptualized by Donald Stokes and Warren Miller in the 1960s, this study examines the congruence between the policy preferences of parliament members and their constituents in post-Soviet Russia, Ukraine and Lithuania. The evidence suggests that the newly competitive and democratic elections, as well as the rise of political parties that occurred after the collapse of Communism, were indeed enhancing political representation in these post-Soviet societies. Given the policy orientation of the newly elected leaders, however, the outcome does not necessarily imply a consolidation of support for democracy and a market economy.