Achieving Democracy Through Interest Representation: Interest Groups in Central and Eastern Europe 3030555208, 9783030555207

Table of contents :
Preface
Acknowledgments
Contents
About the Authors
Abbreviations
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 Achieving Democracy Through Interest Representation: Interest Groups in Central and Eastern Europe in a Comparative Perspective
1.1 Interest Representation and Its Importance for Democracy
1.1.1 From Pluralism and Corporatism to Neo-Pluralism
1.1.2 Democratic Theory
1.2 Why Study Interest Groups in the Post-Communist Countries? Our Exemplary Case Studies
1.3 Research, Methodology and the Book’s Structure
Bibliography
2 Interest Organizations in Central and Eastern Europe: Evaluating Population Ecology
2.1 Explaining the Density and Diversity of Interest Group Systems
2.1.1 The Lithuanian Interest Group System and Punctuated Past
2.1.2 The Polish Interest Groups and Economic Shock Therapy
2.1.3 The Slovenian Europeanized Interest Group System
2.2 Defining Interest Organizations in the Post-Communist Context
2.3 Population Ecology: Density
2.4 Population Ecology: Diversity
2.5 Conclusions
Appendix
Bibliography
3 Organized Interest in the  Policy-Making Process
3.1 A Framework of Interest Representation in the CEE Counties
3.1.1 The Heritage of the Old System
3.1.2 The Europeanization Process
3.1.3 Characteristics of Interest Group Systems in CEE Countries
3.2 Legal, Institutional and Political Determinants
3.2.1 The Executive
3.2.2 The Parliament
3.2.3 The Economic and Social Committees
3.2.4 Other Forms of Inclusion in Policy-Making
3.2.5 The Legal Basis for Interest Groups
3.2.6 Regulation of Lobbying
3.3 Comparisons Between Post-Communist Countries and Western Democracies
3.4 Conclusions
Bibliography
4 The Drivers Behind Relations Between Interest Organizations and Political Parties in the CEE Countries
4.1 Discussing Interest Organizations and Parties’ Positions
4.2 The Post-Communist Transformation
4.3 Conceptualizing the Relationship Between Parties and Groups
4.4 Who Contacts Whom and Why?
4.5 Access Points: Lobbing Government vs Lobbing Parties
4.6 Analysis
4.7 What Explains Party—Group Interactions?
4.8 Conclusions
Bibliography
5 The Organizational Development of Nongovernmental Organizations in Central and Eastern Europe
5.1 Post-Communist Transformation
5.2 Mushrooming of NGOs
5.3 Analysis
5.4 Case Studies
5.5 Discussion and Conclusions
Bibliography
6 The Significance of Trade Unions in the CEE Countries: Beyond Corporatism and Pluralism?
6.1 Trade Unions and Political Parties: Western Europe vs CEE Countries
6.2 Transition, Shock Therapy, Political Turmoil
6.3 Setting the Stage for Industrial Relations After 1989
6.3.1 Foundation of the First Post-Communist Trade Unions in Poland, Slovenia and Lithuania
6.3.2 Economic Shock and Public Discontent
6.3.3 The Changing Political Paradigm and Challenges to Trade Unions
6.4 Distrust Towards Trade Unions and Their Diminishing Political Base
6.5 Discussion and Conclusions
Bibliography
7 Seeking Access to Policy Stakeholders: Business ‘Lobbying’ vs Others
7.1 Venue Shopping in the CEE Political Systems
7.2 Strategies of Inside Lobbying
7.3 Explaining Access Goods
7.3.1 Data and Methodology
7.3.2 Results
7.4 Discussion and Conclusions
Bibliography
8 Interest Organizations in CEE Countries and the European Policy Process
8.1 The Effects of EU Accession on Population Ecology—Diversity, Structure and Numbers
8.2 EU Funding
8.3 Activity at the National vs European Level
8.3.1 Access to European Decision-Makers
8.3.2 Access to National Decision-Makers
8.4 Membership in European Umbrella Organizations
8.5 Discussion and Conclusions
Bibliography
9 Conclusions: The Future of Lobbying in the CEE Countries
9.1 Regime Change and the New Realities of Interest Groups’ Systems in the CEE Countries
9.2 Continued Effects of the EU Accession?
9.3 Lobbying in the CEE Countries in the Next Decade?
9.3.1 Future Research
Bibliography
Index