Democracy without Engagement?: Understanding Political Participation in Post-Communist Romania

Post-communist citizens in Eastern Europe engage in politics through social networks and organizations, driven by selective mobilization opportunities rather than generic socioeconomic and attitudinal traits. This book argues that organizations and social networks are key drivers of citizen participation, influencing political actions that can challenge or strengthen democracy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 254 pages
Publication date: 15 February 2022
Publisher: Lexington Books

How do post-communist citizens engage in the new democracies of Eastern Europe after decades of repressive control exerted by the communist regimes? Are people’s involvement in post-communist politics influenced by generic socioeconomic and attitudinal traits, or is it primarily driven by selective mobilization opportunities provided by social networks and organizations? This book presents a broad framework for conceptualizing and measuring citizen participation and applies it to Romania as a typical post-communist democracy illustrating the low rates of political activism in the region. Separate chapters examine post-communist citizens’ participation in elections, attempts to influence authorities beyond voting, cognitive engagement in politics, and direct involvement in local decision-making. Using large-N statistical analyses, the author argues that individuals’ socioeconomic and attitudinal characteristics have relatively weak influences on citizen participation in the post-communist context. Instead, various organizations and social networks act as politically recruiting and mobilizing agents, driving citizen participation into political actions that can challenge or strengthen democracy. In the absence of a well-developed participatory political culture that would enable citizens to act autonomously in the political sphere, the persistence of post-communist democracies largely depends on the goals and methods pursued by these mobilizing agents.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781498535243