From Corruption and State Capture to a Populist Backlash: The Challenges for Democracy in Eastern Europe

Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Sociology

Major Professor

David Jacobson, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jamie Sommer, Ph.D., D.Sc.

Committee Member

James Cavendish, Ph.D., D.Sc.

Committee Member

Mateus R. Santos, Ph.D., D.Sc.

Keywords

Democratic Transition, Governance, Human Development, Democratic Backsliding

Abstract

Employing different research methods in each chapter, this dissertation aimed to shed light on past and present challenges to democracy in Eastern Europe. More specifically: 1) What underlying conditions and factors cause the failure to develop a well-functioning democracy? 2)What is the role of governance on social and economic outcomes for citizens in the former communist countries of what was known as the Eastern Bloc? 3)To assess the extent of the decline of democracy among the Eastern European EU member states, what component of democracy has deteriorated the most, and identify what drives democratic backsliding.I discovered that the failure to institute democracy stems from the interplay between corrupt political elites and organized crime networks, which exploit the state and the economy for their own gain at the expense of democracy and public welfare. These unfavorable conditions are most prevalent in nations with weak civil society, limited political competition, and a small middle class. In the second chapter my regression analysis found that a higher quality of governance indicators, such as the rule of law, regulatory quality, and government effectiveness, leads to higher levels of human development. Lastly, my findings suggest that since 2010, democracy among the 11 Eastern European member states has deteriorated across the board. However, the decline is alarming only in the two countries ruled by right-wing populist governments. The most significant erosion is observed in the deliberative aspect of democracy, driven primarily by the ascendance of anti-democratic populist parties and populist rhetoric that have permeated the political landscape.

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