Transition In Eastern Europe Research Articles

The consequences of the 1989 changes in the socio-political activity of Lemkos in Poland and the United States of America

Abstract During the communist period, the Lemko community did not have its own separate ethnic organization in Poland. In the USA, the Lemkos were able to conduct social and political activities without any obstacles. Even before World War II, two important organizations were established: the Russophile Lemko-Soyuz and the Ukrainophile Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna in America. The social and political transformation initiated by the elections of June 1989 changed the situation of national and ethnic minorities. The period of political transformation in Poland also activated the Lemkos, who also took advantage of these changes to formalize and develop their activities. The first postwar Lemko organization was the Lemko Association. As a counterbalance for Lemkos Association, Ukrainophiles created in Gorlice their own organization – Union of Lemkos. American activists also had to find their way in the new political circumstances. When the Soviet Union collapsed, not only did the ideological base of Lemko-Soyuz fall into ruin, but also its financial base. OOL found itself in a much better position than Lemko-Soyuz during the period of political transition in Eastern Europe. The anti-Moscow stance of the Ukrainianophile organization allowed it to remain credible and continue to fight for the interests of Ukraine. However, the organizations, both Polish and American, in their multifaceted activity still contribute to consolidation and preservation of Lemkos’ cultural identity and preservation of their traditions.

Cultural Capital, Gender and Intergenerational Educational Mobility in Post-Communist Space

Post-communist transition in Eastern Europe has affected social stratification and mobility. There is an argument that transition undermined the role of parental cultural capital and increased the importance of parental economic capital in determining the educational mobility of children. In this paper, we examine whether the parental cultural capital has played a role in educational mobility of cohorts born in 1970–1984 and what has been the contribution of the different states of cultural capital. We also consider the gender heterogeneity in the transmission of educational advantage. The study focuses on one country of Eastern Europe—Lithuania, which underwent the transition to a radical neo-liberal form of capitalism. Using data from the Families and Inequalities Survey of 2019, we apply the descriptive and ordinal regression analysis. The results indicate intergenerational educational upward mobility for women. All states of parental cultural capital (objectified, embodied, institutionalized) are relevant for the educational attainment of the transitional cohort. The effects are more pronounced for women, at least in relation to some states of parental cultural capital. On a more general level, the findings imply that the intergenerational reproduction of educational attainment was not substantially altered by the transition, at least during its initial decades.

Corruption and Democratic Transition in Eastern Europe. The Role of Political Scandals in Post-Milošević Serbia

Article Corruption and Democratic Transition in Eastern Europe. The Role of Political Scandals in Post-Milošević Serbia was published on June 1, 2020 in the journal Comparative Southeast European Studies (volume 68, issue 2).

Zurnić Marija: Korupcija i demokratska tranzicija u istočnoj Evropi - uloga političkih skandala u post-Miloševićevskoj Srbiji, Palgrejv Mekmilan, London, 2019

Zurnić Marija: Korupcija i demokratska tranzicija u istočnoj Evropi - uloga političkih skandala u post-Miloševićevskoj Srbiji, Palgrejv Mekmilan, London, 2019

External Factors in Political Transition in Eastern Europe: Democratization Through Convergence

<p>Trajektorie rozwoju krajów postkomunistycznych są zasadniczo różne. Demokratyczny okres przejściowy, który rozpoczął się niemal równocześnie, po ponad 25 latach transformacji w przestrzeni postkomunistycznej doprowadził do sformowania różnych systemów politycznych – od skonsolidowanych demokracji w Europie Środkowej i Wschodniej i krajach bałtyckich po wyraźnie autorytarne reżimy polityczne w azjatyckich republikach, na Białorusi i w Rosji. Niektórzy autorzy uważa ją, że to właśnie „odległość od Brukseli” definiuje poziom rozwoju demokracji w krajach postkomunistycznych. Zdaniem autora „odległość od Moskwy” także określa jakość tranzytu politycznego. Innymi słowy, głębokość integracji z Brukselą z jednej strony oraz z Moskwą z drugiej – w sposób zasadniczy determinuje jakość reżimu politycznego. Wszystko to stanowi podstawę do hipotezy, że konwergencja może zarówno stymulować procesy demokratyzacji, jak i powodować ich regresję. Dlatego moje badania skupiały się na takich pytaniach: w jaki sposób czynniki zewnętrzne wpłynęły na politykę poszczególnych państw?; dlaczego procesy konwergencji są tak ważne dla demokratycznych postkomunistycznych krajów Europy Wschodniej podczas okresu przejściowego?; jakie czynniki wyjaśniają wzory i różnice? Autor zwrócił uwagę na naturę wpływów egzogenicznych w krajach Europy Wschodniej, położonych pomiędzy dwoma centrum siły, głównymi graczami geopolitycznymi – UE a Rosją. Autor podjął się również analizy wpływu procesu konwergencji na przemiany polityczne w Ukrainie jako bardzo specyficzny przypadek transformacji politycznej.</p>

Democratic Transition Research: From Western to Post-Soviet East European Scholarship

This paper is the first of its kind to provide a comparative overview of Western (Western European and North American) and post-Soviet East European transition theories and literature that can be used to understand specifics of post-Soviet transition in Eastern Europe. Bridging the two broad theoretical traditions of East and West, and taking Ukraine as a case study, this literature review adds to the transition literature a discussion that relates to the emergence and interplay of structure and agency theories since the 1950s. In particular, the review sets out the various ways in which the transition from post-Communist government to democracy has been theorized, from a structuralist to an agency-structure approach. Meanwhile, it puts new wind into the sails of the idea that the interplay of structure and agency is more relevant to understanding the transition in Ukraine—reflecting similar dynamics in other post-Communist Eastern European states. This review is a good starting source for those who want to understand the roots of democratic transition research and theories.

Democratization Through Convergence: External Factors in Political Transition in Eastern Europe

The ways post-communist countries develop are fundamentally different. The democratic transition that began in these countries almost simultaneously resulted in the formation of various political regimes in the post-communist space after more than 25 years of transformation - from consolidated democracies in Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltics, to openly autocratic political regimes in Asian republics, Belarus and Russia. Some authors believe that it is the "distance to Brussels" that determines the level of democracy development in post-communist countries. But the "distance to Moscow" determines political transition too. That is, the depth of integration with Brussels, on the one hand, and Moscow, on the other, determines the quality of a political regime. All this gives grounds for the hypothesis that convergence can both stimulate democratization processes and cause their regression. So, my research sought to addresses such questions: What impact did external factors in their politics? Why convergence processes are so important for democratic transition post-communist countries of East Europe? What factors explain patterns and differences? The author pays attention to the nature of exogenous influences in the East Europe countries, which are located between two centers of power - big geopolitical players - the EU and Russia. Also, author analyzes the impact of convergence process on political transition in Ukraine as very specific case of political transition.

Nonlinear societal change: The perspective of dynamical systems.

Although rapid social change reflects each society's unique combination of myriad social, historical, political, and economic factors, we argue that the defining features of such change can be understood with recourse to the dynamic processes inherent in complex systems. Accordingly, we present a formal model that describes, in minimalist terms, the dynamics associated with rapid societal transitions in a society's norms and attitudes-and to the potential for rapid reversals of these transitions. The model predicts that societies in the midst of rapid change are characterized by dual realities corresponding to the new and the old, so that models focusing only on changes in the central tendency of a societal attitude provide a misleading account of rapid social change. This model is implemented in computer simulations and validated with empirical data concerning the transition in Eastern Europe from communism to democracy and a free market economy in the late 1980s.

The Effect of State Transfers on Poverty in Post-Socialist Eastern Europe

During the market transition in Eastern Europe, social support mechanisms shifted from employment-based measures to means-tested ones. This restructuring, along with an overall decrease in social support and economic productivity and an increase in unemployment, meant that these payments were often inadequate to address the large rise in poverty during this period of time. Little research, however, considers whether individual-level payments were effective in reducing poverty. This paper considers the efficacy of these individual-level payments in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania, using two-wave panel data. It shows that state transfers to individuals reduced their poverty in all these countries. Thus, while the level of payments may have been inadequate to eliminate the adverse effects of the market transition, the payments themselves were beneficial to individuals and reduced their poverty.

The Issue of Ownership during Transition Period in the Former Communist Countries of Eastern Europe, as Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Albania

The issue of ownership, legal changes and legal re-conceptualization of property rights in these countries, Transition in the former communist countries of Eastern Europe, as Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Albania; This study was conducted in the view of legal changes applied by countries in transition in Eastern Europe. The transition to the post-communist society did not reflect the same features and results from the point of view of property rights. Problems of ownership have been different in these countries, which relates to the way of organization of the socialist regime, and the direction of each state, in the view of the right of ownership. The form of this organization has influenced in many problems of transformation of public ownership in the process of restitution and compensation of its in private property. According to this organization some societies have passed the transition faster and smooth, while others have passed, or continue to wander through the transition more difficult and problematic. Practical Uses in these countries in respect the right of ownership, have been different, for every post-communist country. They reflect different features from one country to another and that the concept and current practices for property rights remain open for improvement in countries such as Albania to achieve the standard for European right! The question that remains open for discussion is that of identifying the factors that have contributed to the field and the differences between them, for countries in transition and property rights among post-communist societies. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n2p175

Has Capitalism Defeated Socialism Yet?—Kornai's Turnaround on Liberalism, and the Evaporation of Myths about Eastern Europe

The Hungarian economist Janos Kornai has warned the West of the possibility of a reversal of liberalization in Eastern Europe. He advocates a new policy of containment aimed at countries such as Russia and China. This prompts us to investigate the truth concerning the transition in Eastern Europe. After 1990 the West recalculated economic data from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe (FSUEE thereafter) before 1990, for creating an illusion that “shock therapy” had made progress in FSUEE. However, the Eastern Europeans including the Hungarians, who were enthusiastic for liberalization from socialism, soon discovered that joining the European Union (EU) was damaging the interests of the majority of people in Eastern Europe, while Western Europeans also came increasingly to oppose the financial burdens imposed by EU enlargement and immigration inflows. The short-sighted transition strategy carried out in Eastern Europe and the preoccupation with geopolitical interests have in fact exacerbated the EU's economic crisis, triggering a civil war in Ukraine and causing Russia to become disillusioned with the West. Kornai's theory of soft-budget constraints as well as his anti-Keynesian policies during the transition recession, is responsible for the economic downturn triggered by rapid liberalization in Eastern Europe. The reversal of the liberalization trend in Eastern Europe and the change in the mass psychology of Eastern Europeans towards the West together constitute an important rebuff to utopian capitalist thinking in China. Has capitalism defeated socialism, as Western propaganda claims? The success of China's autonomous open-door policy and the failure of Eastern Europe's unilateral opening indicate that the collapse of the FSUEE occurred mainly for political rather than economic reasons.

Mammal diversity during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in Eastern Europe.

Fossil record data on the mammal diversity and species richness are of importance for the reconstruction of the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene transition. In Eastern Europe, the transformations during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition consisted mainly in changes in zonal structure and local fauna composition (Markova & Kolfschoten 2008). We investigated the species richness and the analogues of the α, β diversity indexes (in the sense of Whittaker 1972) of large and medium size mammals for 13 climate-stratigraphic units dating to the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene, from the Hasselo Stadial (44-39 kBP) to the Subatlantic period and the present day. The biological diversity of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the Holocene thermal optimum was investigated in more detail using information about all mammalian taxa (PALEOFAUNA database; Markova 1995). One of our results show that the α, β diversity values show only a negative correlation with the temperature conditions during the Late Pleistocene, the period that is characterized by the so-called 'Mammoth Fauna' complex. For the Holocene faunas the diversity indexes are nearly independent from physical conditions; the α diversity index decreased and the β diversity index increased. The relatively low α diversity and high β diversity indexes for the present-day faunas are referred to the decrease of the population number of some forest species in historical time and the increase of the dominance of unspecialized species or the species connected with intra-zonal ecosystems. The study shows furthermore the occurrence of several East European 'centers' with a high mammal diversity, which are relatively stable during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. The orientation of the boundaries between the large geographical mammal assemblages depended, particularly in the northwestern part of Eastern Europe, on the expansion of the Scandinavian ice sheet.

The Path From Passivity Toward Entrepreneurship

Europeanization research dealing with the environmental transition in Eastern Europe has focused on the roles of state actors in adopting European regulations. Less well understood are the framings and roles of public administration actors when European Union regulations do not prescribe specific institutional changes. This article offers a micro perspective on the framings and roles of such actors in several cases of brownfield regeneration. Actors can play a proactive role, thereby fostering change, or they can play a moderately active or a passive role. We identify three moments—defining brownfield problems, mobilizing networks, and leading by example—which together define an entrepreneurial path. Along this path, actors can evolve from passivity toward entrepreneurship, but stasis and regression are also possible. Using qualitative data from the project TIMBRE (Tailored Improvement of Brownfield Regeneration in Europe), we illustrate different moments along this path for public sector actors in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Romania.

Mammal diversity during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in Eastern Europe

Fossil record data on the mammal diversity and species richness are of importance for the reconstruction of the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems during the Late Pleistocene–Holocene transition. In Eastern Europe, the transformations during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition consisted mainly in changes in zonal structure and local fauna composition (Markova & Kolfschoten 2008). We investigated the species richness and the analogues of the α, β diversity indexes (in the sense of Whittaker 1972) of large and medium size mammals for 13 climate-stratigraphic units dating to the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene, from the Hasselo Stadial (44–39 kBP) to the Subatlantic period and the present day. The biological diversity of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the Holocene thermal optimum was investigated in more detail using information about all mammalian taxa (PALEOFAUNA database; Markova 1995). One of our results show that the α, β diversity values show only a negative correlation with the temperature conditions during the Late Pleistocene, the period that is characterized by the so-called ‘Mammoth Fauna’ complex. For the Holocene faunas the diversity indexes are nearly independent from physical conditions; the α diversity index decreased and the β diversity index increased. The relatively low α diversity and high β diversity indexes for the present-day faunas are referred to the decrease of the population number of some forest species in historical time and the increase of the dominance of unspecialized species or the species connected with intra-zonal ecosystems. The study shows furthermore the occurrence of several East European ‘centers’ with a high mammal diversity, which are relatively stable during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. The orientation of the boundaries between the large geographical mammal assemblages depended, particularly in the northwestern part of Eastern Europe, on the expansion of the Scandinavian ice sheet.

Conceptualizing Organizational Domains of Community Empowerment through Empowerment Evaluation in Estonian Communities

The importance of community empowerment has been strongly emphasized in health promotion publications in Western societies. Only a few studies exist to highlight the empowerment processes in countries in transition in Eastern Europe. A multi-stage study was designed to develop a context-specific survey instrument appropriate for evaluating the changes in the community empowerment process within the context of health promotion programs in Rapla, Estonia. The current study comprises the first stage, which aims to identify and systematize empowering domains and activities perceived by community members during the empowerment evaluation process. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with sixteen participants from three health promotion programs. Purposive sampling was used, and data were analyzed using constant comparison. The findings suggest that there are four key organizational domains that characterize the community empowerment process in Rapla: activation of the community, competence development of the community, program management development, and creation of a supportive environment.

The Academic Spin-Offs as an Engine of Economic Transition in Eastern Europe. A Path-Dependent Approach

The paper questions some of the premises in studying academic spin-offs in developed countries, claiming that when taken as characteristics of ‘academic spin-offs per se,’ they are of little help in understanding the phenomenon in the Eastern European countries during the transitional and post-transitional periods after 1989. It argues for the necessity of adopting a path-dependent approach, which takes into consideration the institutional and organisational specificities of local economies and research systems and their evolution, which strongly influence the patterns of spin-off activity. The paper provides new findings and original arguments in support of Balazs’ seminal theses (Balazs 1995, 1996) about the emergence of academic spin-offs during the early transition. It reveals key economic and policy mechanisms bearing on academic entrepreneurship in Eastern Europe, such as the tensions between economic and political nomenclatures of former Communist Parties, where the dismantling or preservation of the power of political nomenclature resulted in different patterns of development—rapid reforms in the ‘first wave’ of EU accession countries or the establishment of rent-seeking and assets-stripping economies in countries like Bulgaria and Romania, making the transition period especially difficult. In the latter, a specific economic environment emerged, unknown in Western Europe and in the ‘champions’ of transition—such as suppression of the authentic entrepreneurship in a number of economic sectors, disintegration of corporate structures, etc. Thus, the paper reveals the common ground behind the two conflicting tendencies in post-socialist academic spin-offs, partially outlined in other research (Simeonova 1995; Pavlova 2000): as an authentic form of academic entrepreneurship grasping the opportunities opened up by the economic crisis and compensating failures in science and technology policy on the one hand, and as specific rent-seeking strategy draining valuable public assets on the other (the latter, in turn, boosting the negative attitudes in local scientific communities). The paper provides new findings about the evolution of the academic spin-offs in Bulgaria along the two polar trends and their positive and negative repercussions on parent research institutions. The results were achieved in the PROKNOW Project, EC 6th Framework Program.

Tax and Structural Reforms in the Transition from Command to Market Economy

The purpose of this paper is to verify the validity of a pessimistic view (Blanchard in The economics of transition in Eastern Europe, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1997) on the role played by public finance in meeting and distributing the costs of transition from command to market economy. In conclusion, we may say that, even though referring to the specific case of Albania, the model of the structural reform index allows us to discuss alternative views on the nature and causes of the impact of the fiscal phenomena on the transition process. The findings were confirmed, using the Bagnai method, by the real evolution of the Albanian economy, and by the valuations of the World Bank and the IMF, both recognizing the importance of the fiscal factor.

Western Aid Conditionality and the Post-Communist Transition

The political and economic collapse of communism in the Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union has created enormous challenge for Western democracies. The challenge has been not that of providing financial developmental aid although it is very important for countries facing the double challenge of transition and development. Its most important dimension has been to provide active policy support to implement reforms dismantling central planning. This in turn includes designing and providing a stimulus to implement a viable transition strategies and establishing market friendly institutions. Thus, the question is the extent to which Western assistance has made a difference in the course of transition from economic systems based on central planning to those based on competitive markets.This paper examines links between the economic transition in the former Soviet bloc countries (including states that emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union) and Western assistance. Its main focus is on addressing two specific questions: (i) have the Western governments and international institutions supported the most effective strategy of transition in Eastern Europe and FSU?; and (ii) what kind of aid policy can give the best results in terms of recipient countries commitment to effective transition strategy?

The Anglo-American Model of Economic Organization and Governance: Entropy and the Fragmentation of Social Solidarity in Twenty-first Century Latvia

The collapse of Latvia's economy in 2009 and the protests that ensued raise fundamental questions about the results of the transition in Eastern Europe in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse. Explaining the significance of these events requires an analysis situating these developments into the global restructuring of the world-system that has occurred since the 1970s when the Bretton Woods Consensus and its model of accumulation and political organization broke down. This article endeavors to reveal insights about the recent unrest by embedding them within a broader political economy (both locally and globally) that articulates the connections between different regimes of accumulation and governance and their respective degrees of social solidarity. Additionally, this article ends by placing the recent demonstrations within three defined categories of protests in the modern era and their conjuncture with crisis of accumulation present since the 1970s. Lastly, this article posits that Latvia's transiti...

From the Bay of Naples to the River Don: the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption and the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in Eastern Europe

The Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) eruption, dated by 40Ar/ 39Ar and various stratigraphic methods to ca. 39,000 cal BP, generated a massive ash plume from its source in southern Italy across Southeastern and Eastern Europe. At the Kostenki-Borshchevo open-air sites on the Middle Don River in Russia, Upper Paleolithic artifact assemblages are buried below, within, and above the CI tephra (which is redeposited by slope action at most sites) on the second terrace. Luminescence and radiocarbon dating, paleomagnetism, and soil and pollen stratigraphy provide further basis for correlation with the Greenland and North Atlantic climate stratigraphy. The oldest Upper Paleolithic occupation layers at Kostenki-Borshchevo may be broadly correlated with warm intervals that preceded the CI event and Heinrich Event 4 (HE4; Greenland Interstadial: GI 12–GI 9) dating to ca. 45,000–41,000 cal BP. These layers contain an industry not currently recognized in other parts of Europe. Early Upper Paleolithic layers above the CI tephra are correlated with HE4 and warm intervals that occurred during 38,000–30,000 cal BP (GI 8–GI 5), and include an assemblage that is assigned to the Aurigancian industry, associated with skeletal remains of modern humans.