VISEGRAD FOUND PROJECT


Information about course ‘Democracy in transition with V4 experience’

Research on Eastern European attitudes toward democracy has not comprehensively examined the economic, social, and political origins of support for and satisfaction with democracy and what these portend for democratic consolidation in Eastern Europe. A transitional democracy is a country that is relatively democratic but shows incomplete signs of democratic consolidations. They fall midway between an established democracy and non-democracy. Differentiating origins of mass support and satisfaction clarify whether ordinary citizens perceive democracy as a normatively correct, legitimate process of making collective and binding decisions or merely as a means of achieving efficiency and distributive justice. Multivariate analysis revealed that among social, economic, and psychological factors influence support, only economic evaluations predict satisfaction. This identifies that support for democracy in Eastern Europe emanates more from recognition of the moral worth of the process than from a calculus about its benefits. However, the study reveals that dissatisfaction with democratic government abounds and may affect support. This challenges optimism for speedy consolidation, showing Eastern Europe poised to linger at the crossroads of transition for a while.

The major aim of the course is to study the changes in the scope, nature and characteristics of democratic transitions presently underway as the result of globalization and European integration. It discusses the origins of ‘Democracy’ concept and reviews the relationship between civil society, economic development, political stability and modernization. It also considers the relevance of democratization to debates about the Eastern Europe Partnership development today. Proposed course considers the notion of ‘Democracy’ and traces some of its origins across different fields from political science to philosophy and sociology. The course puts the main emphasis on the question about challenges of democratic development and transition in modern Europe. It then provides some important practical recommendations for civil society representatives and political elites concerning ways of implementation the democratic values in the Ukrainian society.