scholarly journals The Process of Deterioration of Liberal Democracy in the Visegrad Group Countries: Institutional Perspective

Politologija ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 103 ◽  
pp. 41-74
Author(s):  
Sebastian Kubas
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Liberal Democracy ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Institutional Perspective ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Institutional Level ◽  
Liberal Democratic ◽  
The World ◽  
Consolidated Democracy ◽  
Visegrad Group

Contemporary changes of liberal democracy affect different countries of the world. The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, known as the Visegrad Group countries (V4), are among them. Although the countries seemed to be on a good way to consolidated democracy, about a decade ago the first symptoms of deterioration of liberal democracy became apparent. In the text, attention is focused on the institutional level, which should resist certain challenges in mature democracies. The institutions in V4 were weak and liable to be subordinated by strong political leaders and populist parties, and not strong enough to fight off illiberal tendencies. The analysis reveals that Poland and Hungary were more prone to compromise liberal democratic achievements, while the Czech Republic and Slovakia less so. This paper answers the questions of the institutional causes behind the deterioration of liberal democracy and the effects it brings.

scholarly journals The Illiberal Turn or Swerve in Central Europe?

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 166-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenka Bustikova ◽  
Petra Guasti
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
New Democracies ◽  
Democratic Institutions ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Liberal Democratic ◽  
Independent Judiciary ◽  
Multiple Symptoms

Scholars are coming to terms with the fact that something is rotten in the new democracies of Central Europe. The corrosion has multiple symptoms: declining trust in democratic institutions, emboldened uncivil society, the rise of oligarchs and populists as political leaders, assaults on an independent judiciary, the colonization of public administration by political proxies, increased political control over media, civic apathy, nationalistic contestation and Russian meddling. These processes signal that the liberal-democratic project in the so-called Visegrad Four (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) has been either stalled, diverted or reversed. This article investigates the “illiberal turn” in the Visegrad Four (V4) countries. It develops an analytical distinction between illiberal “turns” and “swerves”, with the former representing more permanent political changes, and offers evidence that Hungary is the only country in the V4 at the brink of a decisive illiberal turn.

scholarly journals The Visegrad Four in Times of Crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
pp. 37-46
Author(s):  
Anna Chetverikova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Future Development ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Economic Issues ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
The World ◽  
Visegrad Group ◽  
Trade And Investment ◽  
The Eu

The article contains an analysis of the Visegrad Group’s approaches to the world financial and economic crisis of 2008 and the pandemic in 2020. The reasons which determined the increase of the Four’s importance in the EU during periods of global distress for a number of economic indicators are outlined. Special attention is paid to the economic dynamics of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic in 2020 in comparison to the time of crisis of 2008-2009 and to the factors influencing the response of countries to the complementary economic issues. The transformation of trade and investment relations within the Visergad Group during the crisis periods is considered. The reasons for changes inside the group are identified. The conclusion is drawn that external challenges cause the weakening of relations within the Four in several areas; the Visegrad market can not fully play the compensatory role for its members in emergency conditions. However, the opportunity for expanding relations within the Group in the future is not excluded. The results of the experts’ survey on the attitudes of the Four during periods of external challenges, relations within the Visegrad Group and directions for future development are presented.

scholarly journals Comparative Analysis of Financing for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the Visegrad Group

2021 ◽  
Vol 92 ◽  
pp. 06041
Author(s):  
Veronika Vrablova
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
National Economy ◽  
Slovak Republic ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Bank Loans ◽  
Access To Finance ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The World ◽  
Visegrad Group

Research background: Small and medium-sized enterprises form the backbone of any national economy. Therefore, sources of financing are important for the enterprise´s growth around the world. Finance for enterprises can be divided into classic and alternative. Recently, alternative ways of financing experienced a boom, especially venture capital, business angels, and crowdfunding. Although this type of funding is well known around the world, there are difficulties in using alternative financing among the Visegrad group. Moreover, there are lots of other factors curbing the expansion of enterprises. Purpose of the article: The purpose of this paper is to identify and compare sources of financing for small and medium-sized enterprises among the Visegrad group with focus on alternative financing. Visegrad group consists of the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, the Hungary, and the Poland. This paper presents an overview of available financing for small and medium-sized enterprises among the Visegrad group. Methods: For analysis, we used data from the the Survey on the access to finance for enterprises in 2019. Moreover, we also did hypothesis testing to compare the usage of financing through bank overdraft in the year 2019. Findings & Value added: We have reached several conclusions. Firstly, this paper suggests that classic sources of financing are used more than alternative ways, from which the bank loans and leasing are used the most. Secondly, the best condition of financing among countries of the Visegrad group is in Poland, but also other countries have huge potential. And finally, financing of enterprises is not the main issue causing difficulties in making business.

Structural changes in the economies of the Visegrad Group’s countries

2020 ◽  
pp. 77-89
Author(s):  
A.S. Chetverikova
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Industry Structure ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Global Competitiveness ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
World Economic ◽  
Main Factors ◽  
Visegrad Group

The article analyzes the changes in the economies of the Visegrad group over the past decade. The dynamics of the main indicators, including indicators of the industry structure and employment structure, as well as the world economic (global) competitiveness of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland, are considered. The issue of the innovation sphere of the «four», its features against the background of pan-European trends, is touched upon. The main factors and limitations of development of these countries are highlighted. The main characteristics of the Visegrad model and its impact on the participating countries are identified.

THE CHALLENGES OF LIBERAL DEMOCRACY IN THE GROWTH OF POPULISM: CASE OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC

2018 ◽  
pp. 42-48
Author(s):  
O. V. Hryhoriev
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Liberal Democracy ◽  
The Czech Republic

The features of democratic transit in the Czech Republic are analyzed. The defects of Czech democracy are investigated. Compared to the trajectories of the non-liberal turn of the Czech Republic and Hungary and Poland. The main manifestations of deformation of liberal democracy are analyzed. The main threats to liberal democracy in the Czech Republic have been identified.

scholarly journals Lustration in Europe and Serbia: The motivation for passing the laws on lustration and their social functions

Sociologija ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-306
Author(s):  
Milan Cakic
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Liberal Democracy ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Social Functions ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Past ◽  
Historical Justice ◽  
Political Struggles ◽  
Opening Section

The main topic of this article are the motives that led to the adoption of lustration laws in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Serbia, and their social functions. In the opening section, lustration is placed in the wider framework of dealing with the past and two possible approaches to the phenomenon are discussed: to take it as part of the broader process of decommunization, or a measure of transitional justice. In the next section an attempt at defining the concept of lustration is made, with a view to eliminating some ambiguities surrounding it. Subsequently, two partially complementary theoretical models explaining the occurrence, form and severity of dealing with the past and lustration are presented. After that comes the description of the socio-political context at the time of the adoption of lustration laws in the three countries and identification of political and ideological forces that have supported or challenged it. Finally, the article attempts to answer the question whether lustration is a legitimate measure of settling historical justice, overcoming the legacies of socialism, a way to strengthen liberal democracy, or merely a tool in political struggles for power.

scholarly journals The Attractiveness of Selected Central European Countries for Winter Sports and Mountain Hiking

Turyzm ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-40
Author(s):  
Kinga Krzesiwo ◽  
Kamila Ziółkowska-Weiss ◽  
Michał Żemła
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Mass Scale ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Mountainous Areas ◽  
Winter Sports ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Central European ◽  
Downhill Skiing ◽  
Visegrad Group

Abstract Hiking, downhill skiing and snowboarding are among the most popular forms of active tourism in mountainous areas. Their popularity and their mass scale do not only result from the presence of the appropriate landscape, but also from its appropriate development. The objective of the article is to attempt to assess the attractiveness of selected Central European countries in terms of winter sports and mountain hiking, to consider the opinions of students who live in Visegrad Group countries, as well as to evaluate the barriers to development of their competitive offers. According to respondents, the most attractive countries for winter sports are Austria and Slovakia, and the least attractive are Hungary, Romania and Lithuania. In turn, according to the students, the best conditions for mountain hiking are in Slovakia, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland. In addition, respondents from particular countries assessed domestic offers highly.

Thirty years from Tiananmen: China, Hong Kong, and the ongoing experiment to preserve liberal values in an authoritarian state

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 439-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cora Chan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Cold War ◽  
Liberal Democracy ◽  
World History ◽  
Tiananmen Square ◽  
Authoritarian State ◽  
The Past ◽  
Liberal Democratic ◽  
The World ◽  
The Cold War

Abstract The 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre marked China out as an exception in the chapter of world history that saw the fall of international communism. The massacre crystalized the mistrust between China and Hong Kong into an open ideological conflict—Leninist authoritarianism versus liberal democracy—that has colored relations between the two since then. This article tracks the hold that authoritarianism has gained over liberal values in Hong Kong in the past thirty years and reflects on what needs to be done in the next thirty years for the balance to be re-tilted and sustained beyond 2047, when China’s fifty-year commitment to preserving Hong Kong’s autonomy expires. Still surviving (just) as a largely liberal (though by no means fully democratic) jurisdiction after two decades of Chinese rule, Hong Kong is a testing ground for whether China can respect liberal values, how resilient such values are to the alternative authoritarian vision offered by an economic superpower, and the potential for establishing a liberal-democratic pocket within an authoritarian state. The territory’s everyday wrestle with Chinese pressures speaks to the liberal struggles against authoritarian challenges (in their various guises) that continue to plague the world thirty years after the end of the Cold War.​

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