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The Struggle for Good Governance in Eastern Europe

The Struggle for Good Governance in Eastern Europe

Michael Emerson | Denis Cenusa | Tamara Kovziridze | Veronika Movchan

(2018)

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Book Details

Abstract

At a time when many regions of the world, including Europe, see a resurgence of authoritarianism, three countries of Eastern Europe – Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova – are struggling to counter this trend with the aim of developing European-style democracies in the framework of their Association Agreements with the European Union.

This book offers an in-depth analysis of this challenge, with expert contributions on the workings of these countries’ democratic and judicial institutions, their anti-corruption policies and the hazards they must overcome, including the strong presence of oligarchs. Other themes include how these countries are adapting to their precarious geo-political positioning between the EU and Russia and how the quality of their political and economic governance compares with the Balkan states.

The book complements three landmark Handbooks (now in their 2nd edition and also published by Rowman & Littlefield International) explaining the progress achieved in implementing the comprehensive Association Agreements that each of these countries has entered into with the EU.

The struggle to advance good democratic governance in these close neighbours of the EU represents a test case of the highest strategic significance for both the EU and the three states themselves. For the most part, the jury is still out over its outcome.


Michael Emerson is a Senior Fellow at CEPS in Brussels, and was formerly with the European Commission, including as EU Ambassador in Moscow.

Denis Cenușă is Programme Director at the independent Moldovan think tank, Expert-Grup.

Tamara Kovziridze is Senior Director of the Reformatics consulting company in Tbilisi, and former deputy minister in the Government of Georgia.

Veronika Movchan is Academic Director of the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting in Kyiv.


Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
The Struggle For Good Governance In Eastern Europe Cover
CONTENTS v
Preface ix
The Essence of the Struggle 1
1. Towards becoming European-style Democracies 9
Introduction 9
Where do the three countries stand? 12
How democracy evolved: Parallel trajectories 13
Ethnic, regional and cultural conflicts and divisions 17
General constitutional systems 21
Government performance and legitimacy 26
Political parties and party systems 31
Revolutionary and rule-based forms of political competition 37
Media, civil society, media, popular movements, social forces, religious groups 41
External policies and influences 46
Concluding remarks 49
References 51
2. Oligarchs as Key Obstacles to Reform 55
Introduction 55
Who are the oligarchs? 56
Oligarchic portfolios 59
The disadvantages of oligarchy 67
How to respond to the challenges posed by oligarchs? 80
Conclusions 83
References 84
3. Integrity and Judicial Reform on Trial 87
Introduction 87
Constitutional and institutional reform 91
Constitutional and institutional reform in Ukraine 97
Constitutional and institutional reform in Moldova 104
Fighting corruption in the justice sector 109
Judicial implementation of the DCFTA 122
Conclusions 128
References 132
4. Anti-Corruption Policies 135
Introduction 135
Strategic and overarching aspects 138
Institutional issues 143
Specific legal mechanisms 152
Broader policy issues 164
Conclusions 173
References 176
5. Can greater gender equality in senior roles help reduce corruption? 177
Introduction 177
Definition of \"corruption 178
Definition of \"women in power 179
Linkages between women and corruption 181
Proposed areas of further research and methodology 191
References 199
6. Incomplete Hegemonies, Hybrid Neighbours: Identity games and policy tools 203
Introduction 203
Hybridity in the common neighbourhood 207
Hybrid hegemonies: The EU and Russia 213
Options and scenarios 228
References 237
7. Political and Economic Governance in the Balkans vs Eastern Europe 243
Introduction 243
Political governance 245
Economic development and governance 255
Comprehensive comparisons and policy implications 266
References 271
Annex A - Methodologies 273
8. Demystifying the Association Agreements 277
Step change: From the ENP to DCFTA 279
Why the AA-DCFTA? 281
Understanding the agreements 284
Challenges of implementation 291
References 295
About the Contributors 299