In Search of the Shadow of the Past: Legacy Explanations and Administrative Reform in Post-Communist East Central Europe

Abstract

Legacy explanations have been prominent in studies of democracy and democratization in post-communist East Central Europe (Ekiert and Hanson 2003; Linz and Stepan 1996).1 They claim that ‘resource endowments and institutions that precede the choice of democratic institutions have a distinct impact on the observable political process under the new democratic regime’ (Kitschelt et al. 1999: 12–13). The legacy of the past has also played a prominent role in discussions of public administration reform in East Central Europe. In particular, the legacy of the ‘real-existing socialist administration’ (König 1992) has often been identified as an obstacle to successful reforms in the post-communist context.KeywordsCivil ServicePolitical CompetitionEast CentralAdministrative ReformCivil Service ReformThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.