87702 - THE V4 DOMESTIC POLITICAL TRANSITION PROCESSES

Anno Accademico 2019/2020

  • Docente: Darina Malova
  • Crediti formativi: 4
  • SSD: SPS/04
  • Lingua di insegnamento: Inglese
  • Modalità didattica: Convenzionale - Lezioni in presenza
  • Campus: Forli
  • Corso: Laurea Magistrale in Interdisciplinary research and studies on eastern europe (cod. 8049)

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

The students are expected to study in a comparative perspective the V4 political transition developments in the framework of post-communism and enlargement processes. At the end of the course, students should be able to evaluate the V4 national political issues and the current political affairs and the connection between domestic policies and the V4 role within the EU.

Contenuti

  • Introduction into the course. Idea of Central Eastern Europe and its tragedy. The state socialism and its defining features. Questions/Topics: How did Eastern Europe look like before 1989? How different were V4 countries? What forced/triggered the fall of the Berlin wall? Could we predict the 1989 Fall of the Berlin Wall?
  • Fall of the Berlin Wall. Enemies, Neighbors, and Friends: Healing Europe’s East-West division. A Triple Transition: a New Agenda for Central and Eastern Europe.Questions/Topics: Please, discuss seven “unpleasant surprises in store” according to Offe’s predictions. How do you evaluate the real outcomes in V4 countries?
  • The EU Enlargement Policy: Membership Criteria and V4 Responses. Questions/Topics: What are the main conditions for a state to join the EU and why are those conditions decisive? Define power and uncertainty in the conditionality process. Do you think all the EU member-states have equal rights and obligations? What do you think about the impact of the EU conditionality on V4 countries? Has it help to democracy in V4?
  • Case study of Slovakia’s Path to Democracy and Market Economy under the ‘auspices’ of the EU. Questions/Topics: Describe and analyze the overall political and socio-economic situation in Slovakia in the 1990s. Choose one aspect and analyze its evolution by 2004, when the country joined the EU. Provide examples and facts to support your arguments.
  • Case Study of the Czech Republic: Always a good student? Questions/Topics: Describe and analyze the overall political and socio-economic situation in the Czech Republic in the 1990s. Choose one aspect and analyze its evolution by 2004, when the country joined the EU. Provide examples and facts to support your arguments.
  • Case Study of Poland: EU Politics as an implication of its size? Questions/Topics: Describe and analyze the overall political and socio-economic situation in Poland in the 1990s. Choose one aspect and analyze its evolution by 2004, when the country joined the EU. Provide examples and facts to support your arguments.
  • Case Study of Hungary: The political context of EU accession in Hungary. Questions/Topics: Describe and analyze the overall political and socio-economic situation in Hungary in the 1990s. Choose one aspect and analyze its evolution by 2004, when the country joined the EU. Provide examples and facts to support your arguments.
  • Politics of TINA (There Is No Alternative) and its consequences in V4 countries. Questions/Topics: Does the EU have a normative power over member-states? If yes, describe what this power means and how is it exercised. In what spheres is the asymmetry of the relations the EU vs. member states the most obvious? Why? Do you believe in the changing power of the EU? Provide arguments.
  • Summarizing Workshop: Advantages and disadvantages of the EU membership for Visegrad Four. Transcending or Redrawing Europe's East–West Divide?

Testi/Bibliografia

Ash, Timothy Garton. The Magic Lantern. The Revolution of '89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin and Prague. (1990) Vintage Books, New York, pp.131-165, 488-491.

Kundera, Milan. (1984) "The tragedy of central Europe", The New York Review of Books (pre-1986); Apr 26, 1984; 31.

Offe, Claus (1991), "Capitalism by Democratic Design?!, Democratic Theory Facing the Triple Transition in East Central Europe’, Social Research 58(4), pp. 865–881.

Kaldor, M., Vejvoda, I. (1997) Democratization in Central and Eastern Europe. International Affairs, Vol. 73, No. 1, pp.59-82.

Featherstone, K., & Radaelli, C.M. (Eds.). (2003). The Politics of Europeanization. New York: Oxford University Press.

Grabbe, Heather (2003). Europeanisation Goes East: Power and Uncertainty in the EU Accession Process, in K. Featherstone and C. Radaelli (eds.) The Politics of Europeanization, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Malová, Darina and Marek Rybář (2003) “European Union Policies towards Slovakia: Carrots and Sticks of Political Conditionality.” In Jacques Rupnik & Jan Zielonka (eds.), The Road to the European Union, Volume 1: The Czech and Slovak Republics. Manchester: Manchester University Press, pp. 98-112.

Malová, Darina & Dolný, Branislav (2016). Economy and democracy in Slovakia during the crisis from a Laggard to the EU Core. Problems of post-communism, 63 (5-6), pp. 300-312.

Rupnik, Jaques & Zielonka, Jan (2003). The Road to the European Union: The Czech and Slovak Republics. Manchester University Press.

Sedelmeier, Ulrich.: Enlargement, From Rules for Accession to a Policy towards Europe. In: H. Wallace et al. (eds.): Policy-Making in the European Union, Oxford University Press, 2010. 401-429.

Vachudova, M. (2005) Europe Undivided: Democracy, Leverage, & Integration After Communism, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Wolchik, Sharon L. & Curry, Jane L. (eds.). (2011). Central and East European Politics: From Communism to Democracy. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.

Johns, M. (2003):“Do As I Say, Not As I Do”: The European Union, Eastern Europe and Minority Rights, East European Politics and Societies, Vol. 17, No. 4, pages 682–699.

Malová, Darina & Dolný, Branislav (2008) The Eastern Enlargement of the EU: Challenges To Democracy? In: Human Affairs 18, 67–80, 2008.

Fisher, Sharon (2006) Political Change in Post-Communist Slovakia and Croatia. From Nationalist to Europeanist. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 83-120.

Marek, Dan and Michael Baun (2002) "The EU as a Regional Actor: The Case of the Czech Republic," JCMS 2002 Volume 40. Number 5. pp. 895–919;

Hanley, Seán (2004) “A Nation of Sceptics? The Czech EU accession referendum 14 June 2003, West European Politics, 27:4, pp. 691-715, DOI: 10.1080/0140238042000249867

Szczerbiak, Aleks (2004) History Trumps Government Unpopularity: The June 2003 Polish EU Accession Referendum, West European Politics, 27:4, 671-690, DOI: 10.1080/0140238042000249876

Gwiazda, Anna (2013) The Europeanisation of regional policy in Poland: did political parties make a difference?, East European Politics, 29:2, 226-244, DOI: 10.1080/21599165.2013.782540.

Ferge, Zsuzsa and Gábor Juhász (2004) Accession and Social Policy: The Case of Hungary. Journal of European Social policy. Volume: 14 issue: 3, page(s): 233-251. https://doi.org/10.1177/0958928704044621

Steve Wood. 'The European Union: A Normative or Normal Power? European Foreign Affairs Review 14: 113–128, 2009.

Metodi didattici

Lectures and seminars.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

  • The final written exam (the format of open book exam): a choice of 3 out of 6 essay questions, in 3 hours (70 percent of the grade).
  • One oral presentation of a position paper (with power point, 10 minutes) on a topic chosen from the themes we will be covering in class (30 percent of the grade).

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Computer and projector

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Darina Malova