Transformation Of Political System Research Articles

Impediments to public consultations in the Polish local self-government

The aim of this paper is a comparative analysis of legislative solutions and practical application of the public consultations in the Polish local government after 1989. The legal changes that occurred during this period have guaranteed Polish citizens the tool to direct exercising the political power. Unfortunately, the lack of legislative precision in the use of mechanisms of civic participation in Poland is characteristic of public consultation. Despite the fact that this solution has been used by public administration since the political-system transformation and the passing of the Act on Gmina Self-Government of 1990, and that in 1997 the consultations as a form of the exercise of power by the citizens were also established in the Constitution, for the first two decades there was a fairly great freedom of interpretation in holding them, which the local self-government authorities widely used. Positive changes in the practice of using the mechanisms of public consultation in Poland, including the formulation of the widely accepted set of guidelines and practical advice concerning the manner of implementing these mechanisms, began to take place only in the last four to five years. Main thesis of the paper is the opinion that public consultations in the example of the Polish self-government despite nearly three decades of legislative and political experiences are still not an effective tool of direct democracy, but only a bureaucratic facade.

The Different Meanings of Land in the Age of Neoliberalism: Theoretical Reflections on Commons and Resilience Grabbing from a Social Anthropological Perspective

Recent debates in social anthropology on land acquisitions highlight the need to go further back in history in order to analyse their impacts on local livelihoods. The debate over the commons in economic and ecological anthropology helps us understand some of today’s dynamics by looking at precolonial common property institutions and the way they were transformed by Western colonization to state property and then, later in the age of neoliberalism, to privatization and open access. This paper focuses on Africa and refers to the work of critical scholars who show that traditional land tenure was misinterpreted as customary tenure without full property rights, while a broader literature on the commons shows that common-pool resources (pasture, fisheries, wildlife, forestry etc.) have been effectively managed by locally-developed common property institutions. This misinterpretation continues to function as a legacy in both juridical and popular senses. Moreover, the transformation of political systems and the notion of customary land tenure produced effects of central importance for today’s investment context. During colonial times a policy of indirect rule based on new elites was created to manage customary lands of so-called native groups who could use the land as long as it was of no value to the state. However, this land formally remained in the hands of the state, which also claimed to manage common-pool resources through state institutions. The neoliberal policies that are now demanded by donor agencies have had two consequences for land and land-related common-pool resources. On the one hand, states often lack the financial means to enforce their own natural resource legislation and this has led to de facto open access. On the other hand, land legally fragmented from its common-pool resources has been transformed from state to private property. This has enabled new elites and foreign investors to claim private property on formerly commonly-held land, which also leads to the loss of access to land related common-pool resources for more marginal local actors. Thus, the paper argues that this process does not just lead to land grabbing but to commons grabbing as well. This has furthermore undermined the resilience and adaptive capacity of local populations because access to common-pool resources is vital for the livelihoods of more marginal groups, especially in times of crisis. Comparative studies undertaken on floodplains in Botswana, Cameroon, Mali, Tanzania and Zambia based on a New Institutional Political Ecology (NIPE) approach illustrate this process and its impacts and show how institutional transformations are key to understanding the impacts of large-scale land acquisitions (LSLA) and investments in Africa.

POLITICAL SYSTEM OF SOCIETY IN A HYBRID WAR: THE DIRECTION OF TRANSFORMATION

POLITICAL SYSTEM OF SOCIETY IN A HYBRID WAR: THE DIRECTION OF TRANSFORMATION

The Transformation of Political Systems in North Africa and Central America

From the very beginning of the so-called Arab Spring in the winter of 2010, different authors drew parallels with the fall of communism and the democratization of Eastern Europe in 1989/1991. Even the name given to the political processes of the 2010 in North Africa was similar to the names of the political changes in communist Eastern Europe. The Eastern Europe parallel was strongly emphasized and the arguments that accompany it do carry some weight. However, this paper claims that because of the specificity of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe, its comparison to the Arab Spring is not completely adequate. Eastern Europe went through a triple transition and was later heavily influenced by the allure to join the European Union, unlike North Africa. Therefore, this paper stipulates that the Arab Spring is more adequately compared to the democratization of Central America then the democratization of Eastern Europe.

Зарубіжний досвід трансформації політичних систем та можливість його адаптації до українських реалій

Зарубіжний досвід трансформації політичних систем та можливість його адаптації до українських реалій

Political Parties of Thailand – Examination for Democratic Stability

On the threshold of elections designed to be held in February 2019, the first after the military junta seized power in 2014, it is important to define the role of parties in the political process of Thailand, which as other developing countries of Asia, faces challenges in democratic state building. The contemporary political history of kingdom represents the confrontation of two tendencies – authoritarianism and democracy what has a reverse impact on political parties, their character, structure and ability to represent interests of the society as a whole. The author analyses the process of party evolution in the historical retrospective in the context of transformation of political system – from bureaucratic to semidemocratic subjected to economic modernization and changes in socio structure of society where traditional form of organization patron-client is persisted. The author defines three stages of evolution of party system in Thailand The first is characterized by the full control of civil-military bureaucracy over parties. The second stage is closely related to the formation of provincial political clientele groups. The third stage marks the evolvement of party of “power” with the implication for strengthening the parliamentary democracy in the beginning of XXI century. And as the result of it – to the destabilization of political system, based on the relative balance of power between two main political forces – bureaucracy and army interested in reservation of authoritarian government, and bourgeoisie supporting the liberalization of political institutes. With the emergence of party of “power” supported by the majority of population advocating parliamentary democracy political spectrum has changed. The arising conflict of interests subjected to collision of positions regarding the model of political governance was overcome by military coup. Analyzing the political spectrum on the threshold of elections the author comes to conclusion that the restoration of compromised model of political governance sample of 80-90 years of XX century is the most likely option of political development of Thailand in the near future. Though it differs in one aspect – the social structure has changed, there is the rise of that groups of population that intend to participate in the political process, what will force the power to be more transparent and social oriented. These challenges face the political parties as well.

Czytelnictwo więźniów w Zakładzie Karnym w Rawiczu

Readership of prisoners in the Rawicz prisonA prison library is an institution intended to provide convicts with access to literature, culture, and education. In Poland, the approach to functions of prisons and prison libraries changed with political system transformation. After 1989 the penology was modified from the repressive model to the reha­bilitative one. Prisoners can participate in cultural events, such as theatre performances, book clubs and prison newspapers publishing. Such involvement should be based on well-equipped library supervised by aqualified librarian. The reality is different, but statistics of Central Statistical Office of Poland GUS reveal that prison libraries in Poland are constantly developing. The author of the work conducted the survey in the prison in Rawicz aimed at the exploration of prisoners’ readership. The analysis involved 50 individuals. According to the study’s results, convicts consider the library as anecessary institution, which they use willingly. Most of the respondents admitted that they read books, while almost all of them reported reading the press. The most popular literary genres among the surveyed turned out to be fantastic and detective stories.

The Arab Spring – Implications for the Russian Federation

The Arab Spring led to a major transformation of political systems of the region’s most countries; an increase in the significance of radical Islam in the political life; a degradation of the security environment. In addi­tion, changes in the region’s economy cannot be overlooked. The events connected with the Arab Spring gave the Russian Federation completely new challenges. The country has to yet again define the character of its relations with Muslim countries and adapt its foreign policy to the new post-revolutionary reality. The Arab Spring also represents a challenge for Russia in its internal affairs.

Prawo inspirowane życiem — nowy czeski Kodeks cywilny regulacja prawa spadkowego

Life inspired bill for life — the new Czech Civil Code Inheritance LawThe paper aims at investigating how the Czech Republic member of the European Union deals with the problem of recodification of the Civil Law after political system transformation. The paper presents changes in Inheritance Law that strengthening testamentary freedom and modify the pur­view of family protection.

Systems Approach in Studying Elite of Transitional Political Regimes

The question which the paper investigates is the studying of the political elite of dynamic transitional political regimes. Traditionally political elite is studied as a social group, in framework of such studies the personal structure of this group, the channels of incorporation and excorporation are explored, but it is noteworthy that the subject of political elite of transitive or transformational societies is somewhat wider than a mere social characteristic of the ruling class: in the first place, this problem concerns the peculiarities of the ruling regime, design of the power institutions, prospects of transformation and directions of transformation of political system. Application of the systems analysis to studying the political elite enabled to analyze the structure and functions of the elite, create a model of elitogenesis. Studying the political elite as a system but not merely a social group allowed to substantially broaden the scope for analyzing it. The report presents theoretical calculations. The present “system-elite” concept was used in the study of the transformation processes in the regions in the post-Soviet Russia. The empirical material obtained in this way made it possible to elaborate the theoretical model. Nevertheless, the theoretical model needs some further testing and completion on a broader empirical basis.

ПРОБЛЕМА СТАТУСУ КОСОВО В ПОЛІТИЦІ ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКОГО СОЮЗУ (1998 – 2016 рр.)

A particular feature of Kosovo’s internal policy development as an independent state and problematic reasons with a full international recognition of this fact is also highlighted. The research studied objective and subjective historical reasons for the state formation of Kosovo Albanians starting from the latent stage of this process within former Yugoslavia and then up to the declaration of Kosovo independence. Influence of Yugoslavia's collapse, as well as of external factors on Kosovo's separation from Serbia is also explored in this dissertation. A particular feature of Kosovo’s internal policy development as an independent state and problematic reasons with a full international recognition of this fact is also highlighted. Problem of Kosovo's status to the diplomacy of «power poles» in modern system of international relations within the context of NATO war against Yugoslavia in 1999 is underlined.The paper deals with EU policy on Kosovo Status. The author shows evolution of EU policy on Kosovo Status from diplomatic mission to «humanitarian intervention». These are the need for Kosovo independents. Another problem is to make a peace for Serbian-Kosovo relationship. Problem of Kosovo's status to the diplomacy of «power poles» in modern system of international relations within the context of NATO war against Yugoslavia in 1999 is underlined. A main tendency of Serbian policy towards Kosovo after the democratic transformation of political system of this state and in conditions of Serbia’s European integration aspirations was examined. NATO has been leading a peace support operation in Kosovo since Juni 1999 in support of wider international efforts to build peace and stability in the Balkan area. KFOR was established when NATO’s 78-day air campaign against Milosevic’s regime, aimed at putting to violence in Kosovo, was over. The operation derives its mandate from United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) and the Military – Technical Agreement between NATO, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia. KFOR’s original objectives were to deter renewed hostilities establish a secure environment and ensure public safety and order demilitarize the Kosovo Liberation Army, support the international humanitarian effort and coordinate with the international civil presence. KFOR continues contribute towards maintaining a safe and secure environment in Kosovo and freedom of movement for all. NATO strongly supports the Belgrad-Pristina EU-brokered Normalization Agreement. The author shows evolution of Balkans states policy on Kosovo Status from Dayton Agreements for Peace in Bosnia to independence of Kosovo. The Serb minority of Kosovo, which largely opposes the declaration of independence, has formed the Community Assembly of Kosovo in response. Problem of Kosovo's status to the diplomacy of “power poles” in modern system of international relations within the context of NATO war against Yugoslavia in 1999 is underlined. A main tendency of Serbian policy towards Kosovo after the democratic transformation of political system of this state and in conditions of Serbia’s European integration aspirations was examined.

Сучасні тенденції зміни суб’єктності публічної політики

У статті аналізується проблема інституціоналізації публічних акторів і форм їх взаємодії в сучасному постмодерновому політичному просторі. Виявлено і охарактеризовано нові тенденції зміни їх суб’єктності у формуванні громадського капіталу в різних типах режимів: гібридизація, мережевість, індивідуалізація, транскордонність, конфліктність. Оцінено вплив інформаційних технологій, які стають одним з головних інструментів реалізації публічної політики в сучасних політичних умовах і яких у перспективі можна розглядати в якості основи трансформації політичних систем всіх типів. Визначено, що ключовим механізмом розвитку політичних практик акторів є конвертація різних видів ресурсів в публічний капітал, який є частиною політичного капіталу. З’ясовано, що публічні актори діють в конкретних інституційних режимних рамках, мають інкорпоровану здатність брати участь в колективних та індивідуальних діях, грунтуючись на своїх інтересах, перевагах і ідентичностях. В роботі доведено, що публічні актори, перебуваючи в певному режимному середовищі, формують особливі форми публічного капіталу, який відображає ступінь ефективності, відкритості та конфліктності політичної системи.

SECULAR CHANGES IN BIRTH WEIGHTS AND WOMEN'S BODY SIZE IN KRAKÓW AND POZNAŃ (POLAND) DURING THE LAST CENTURY.

Changing socioeconomic conditions over the last century have left their mark on neonatal size and final body size of individuals born in those days. The main aim of this study was to investigate how the historical, political and economic changes occurring from the late 19th century to the 2000s have affected the birth weight of newborns. Additionally, changes in weight and body height in the case of young women (potential mothers) were analysed. Data were from two cities in Poland (Kraków and Poznań) covering 15,884 newborns and 3612 women aged 18 years, derived from 1900 to 2010. Despite short-term fluctuations, the results showed significant increasing trends in all studied features. Changes in birth weight were similar in both cities: in Kraków it increased by 184 g (males) and 206 g (females), and in Poznań by 216 g (males) and 120 g (females). Changes in women's body size were also significant, but the level was different depending on place of residence. In the last century, women's body height increased by 8.2 cm in Kraków and by 10.2 cm in Poznań, and their body weight increased by 1 kg and 5 kg respectively. The considered period covered the years of socioeconomic change that occurred as a result of the political system transformation. Crises, periods of prosperity and other factors that determine standard of living and health care have influenced the development of the Polish population's physical features.

TRANSFORMATION OF PLACE AND ROLE OF POLITICAL OPPOSITION IN CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The essence of the concept of «political opposition», its broad and narrow meaning are defined in the article. The principles of the political opposition in different political regimes, its role and characteristics of interaction with the authorities are considered. It the article indicated that system or non-system nature of the opposition depends on the type of political regime in which it operates. The factors of opposition’s intensification in Central and Eastern Europe are investigated. The role of the political opposition in the formation of social movements as a powerful forces in the fight against the ruling regime are analyzed. The peculiarities of the opposition in transition period are characterized. The main opposition movements and their importance in the transition from authoritarianism to democracy are viewed. The modern functions of political opposition in Central and Eastern European countries are considered in this article. Key words: opposition; transformation of political systems; anti-communist movements; political pluralism; democratization; reform; protest; revolution.

How Far Can Citizens Influence the Decision-Making Process? Analysis of the Effectiveness of Referenda in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary in 1989–2015

Abstract This article explores the political role of a referendum in Central European countries, in particular in Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. In this article, political effectiveness is understood as a possibility to influence the decision-making process by citizens through a referendum. The transformation of political systems in Central European states from socialist/communist to democratic ones resulted in increasing interest in the notion of referendum, one of the common forms of direct democracy. However, most referenda have been abused for political purposes. The focus of this article is a referendum used at the national level. This study examines the use of a referendum in Central European states from 1989 to 2015. The database presents, country by country, the subject matter of voting, people’s participation and the results in order to show the citizens’ opportunity (or lack of it) to express their opinions and to contribute to policy-making by circumventing the standard legislative process. The aim of this paper is to analyze referenda in the selected countries and to verify two hypotheses. Firstly, the weak use of a referendum and a small size of complementation of representative democracy. Secondly, the citizens’ belief in a referendum as an element of communication and consultation between authorities and society.

Кризис украинской государственности: политико-правовой, ценностный и геоэкономический аспекты

The article focuses on the complex political, legal, sociocultural and geopolitical problems initiated by the political crisis in Ukraine. The authors analyze the historical and socio-political prerequisites and the global context of the Ukrainian crisis. In the light of this crisis, prospects of the geopolitical and geoeconomic reconfiguration of the former Soviet Union are considered. Special attention is paid to the problems of state consolidation, to the dysfunctions of the democratic process, to the efficiency of democratic political institutions. The transformations of the constitutional and legal system and of political regime are analyzed in the context of the current crisis. Risks of state insolvency and possible disintegration of Ukraine, prospects of reestablishment of the state as an option of crisis recovery, destructive practices of the post-revolutionary period, and the role of informal institutes in Ukrainian policy are evaluated. These factors contribute to a rapid growth of cleavages in the Ukrainian society – in many respects because of the ethnic centered nation building policy and of xenophobic mobilization. Comparative analysis of the Ukrainian and Russian experiences post-Soviet transformation of political systems reveals two different variants of interaction and mutual control of oligarchy, bureaucracy and political personalistic regimes. As a result of this interactions two different solutions to the problem of civic nation building in a post-Soviet transformation context emerge. Which of these options may be more successful remains an open question.

A Double-Edged Sword? Reflections on the Development of the San Community of Botswana

A large part of the discourse of development envisages a symbiotic relationship between development and democracy, with some theorists and practitioners arguing that there is a strong positive relationship between development and democracy. In particular, it is presumed that both development and democracy inform and blend into one another. Essentially, democracy is believed to be a basic requirement for development as well as an indicator of it. Significantly, the very idea that democracy is a prerequisite or a basic pre-condition of development is symbolically important and suggests that development is fundamentally founded on a healthy democratic tradition. In similar manner, high levels of development are presumed to give impetus to democratic impulses. It is thus widely presumed that economic development provides impetus to the transformation of political systems and the full enjoyment of human rights. Perhaps this position is a result of the growing realization that problems of economic performance and governance are interconnected, such that solution to one of the problems may often be found in the solution to the other. This paper seeks to present a cautionary perspective on this widely accepted position by arguing that while the two inform and blend into one another, the outcome may not always be desirable or beneficial. Using the right based approach to development as the conceptual framework the paper presents a critical assessment of this relationship, noting that in some instances, development interventions have had negative effects on basic civil and political freedoms of the San people of Botswana. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p2926

SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL PECULIARITIES OF THE DON COSSACKS’ ELITOGENESIS

The article deals with the peculiarities of Cossacks political elite genesis in the context of social and historical characteristics of the Don Cossacks institutionalization and the modern problems of the Cossacks’ revival process as well. It also analyses the formation and reproduction specific of the Cossacks political elite of the Don Cossacks Host, by making it a part of local administrative structures. Historically the Don Cossacks were formed as the soldiers’ class, vested with the authority by the government and having public self-government. Political system transformation at the beginning of the XXth century led to the elimination of Cossacks as political subject in Russia. The analysis of the modern political process of the Don Cossacks Host revival indicates great structural changes during the last decades of Russian history. These changes mostly refer to the Don Cossacks , which being initial spontaneous and unorganized movement for the Cossacks revival at the end of 80s in the XXth century transformed into sociopolitical institution by the beginning of the 2000. The great changes of Cossacks elite were revealed. Considering sociopolitical elite, which is formed in Cossacks Host communities, as a part of modern regional elite in the South of Russia, authors emphasize the most organized and structural character of the Don Cossacks among all Russian Cossacks movements. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12731/2218-7405-2013-11-8

Popularization of the creative works of artist-illustrators and designers of children’s books in Poland after the political system transformation (1989-2010)

AbstractSignificant changes started in the children’s books market from 1989. The market gradually began to be saturated with far less expensive reprints of Western productions. Their artistic form is based on the style of cartoons, thus replacing the diversity of illustrations which is necessary to activate the development of child’s perception. Consequently, a special role is played by measures aimed to popularize the artistic achievements of artist-illustrators and designers of books for children in Poland. After the political system transformation, earlier activities were continued (plein-air workshops for illustrators in the Roztocze region). New undertakings were also initiated (meetings with graphic layout artists, conferences, exhibitions, workshops for children and teenagers in libraries). The article discusses the activities of Gallery [Galeria] 31 at Branch no. 30 of Hieronim Lopaciński City Public Library in Lublin, Poznań Trade Fair Meetings in Poznań, and plein-air workshops for artist-illustrators. These events are an example of local and nation-wide activities. They develop a conscious attitude towards the impact of the book form as a visual communication. The forms of Polish books (including textbooks and reading list books) for the youngest readers cannot be regarded as satisfactory.

Политическое развитие Турции на современном этапе

The transformation of political system in Turkey resulted in creation of a pluralistic society, while the Justice and Development Party (AKP) – the winner of the country’s last five national elections – provides with the most relevant political model which is unique for the country with a predominant Muslim population. Turkey has made an impressive progress since Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his populist AKP came to power in 2002. The country entered the G20, its GDP tripled, while exports increased fivefold. Turkey's role in international affairs has grown significantly. For more than a decade of Erdoğan's leadership, the government has undertaken a limited democratization process through amendments to the Constitution and steps to eliminate the military tutelage over the civil authority. Nowadays domestic political process in Turkey is characterized by the erosion of secularism and the planting of a moderate (“soft”) Islam. The ruling Turkish elite seeks to transform local society into a more conservative one. In April 2013, Erdoğan initiated discussion by Parliament to the proposed new Constitution, including the transition from a parliamentary to a presidential form of government. The major breakthrough has been reached in relations with the Kurds. In March 2013, a truce was attained with the jailed PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) leader Abdullah öcalan. The PKK forces retreated hereupon to bases in the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurdish party – Peace and Democracy – is presented in the Parliament, along with the ruling AKP (which takes 50% of the seats) and the opposition Republican People's Party. At the same time Turkey has already seen societal polarization since the 2013 Gezi Park protests (“the Turkish Spring”) which grew into a nationwide protest movement. This, however, did not affect the determination of the AKP to build a model based on the market economy, parliamentary democracy and Islamic traditions. This model may be in demand in other countries with a prevailing Muslim population. Turkey’s political system can also inspire Arab neighbouring countries, where – like in Turkey – the pro-Islamic ruling parties are actively looking for alternative forms of development.