Post-Communist Party Systems: Competition, Representation, and Inner-Party Cooperation

Kitschelt et al. produced an impressive comparative analysis of postsocialist party systems in four Eastern European countries (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Bulgaria). The book specifically focuses on such problems as political representation, programmatic competition, etc., and provides the necessary theoretical framework as well as abundant data. Ultimately, the authors try to assess the impact of different political configurations on the quality of democracy. What requires a special commendation, is the great number of diagrams and tables, thoroughly commented in the text but still providing the reader with the freedom of his own interpretation. The employed methodology includes political elite and electorate surveys, factor analytical and regression techniques, as well as a few indexes whose meaning sometimes is not very obvious. Although all analyses are based on people's opinions and perception, the authors contrast this data with a number of objective economic indicators. Most data is of 1993-1998, but the recent political changes are also mentioned. Overall, this book is an interesting, thought-provoking reading and a must for students of political and social transformation in the Central and Eastern Europe.