CHAPTER 10: SOCIOCULTURAL LEGACIES IN POST-TRANSITION SOCIETIES IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND THE RELATIONSHIP TO THE RESURGENCE OF RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM AND POPULISM IN THE REGIONVlastimil Havlík and Miroslav MarešSociocultural legacies in Post-transition societies in Central and Eastern Europe

A review essay of key works and trends in the political thought of Central and Eastern Europe, before and after 1989. The topics examined include the nature of the 1989 velvet revolutions in the region, debates on civil society, democratization, the relationship between politics, economics, and culture, nationalism, legal reform, feminism, and “illiberal democracy.” The review essay concludes with an assessment of the most recent trends in the region.

Does Technological Innovation Drive Corporate Sustainability? Empirical Evidence for the European Financial Industry in Catching-Up and Central and Eastern Europe Countries

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12062261 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 2261 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Francisca Sempere-Ripoll ◽

Sofia Estelles-Miguel ◽

Ronald Rojas-Alvarado ◽

Jose-Luis Hervas-Oliver

Keyword(s):

Financial Performance ◽

Eastern Europe ◽

Technological Innovation ◽

Central And Eastern Europe ◽

Corporate Sustainability ◽

Financial Industry ◽

Critical Question ◽

Community Innovation Survey ◽

Catching Up ◽

The Relationship

In the financial industry, two relationships are well-researched: (i) innovation and financial performance and, (ii) sustainability and financial performance, both focused primarily on Western and advanced countries. The relationship between innovation and sustainability, however, is underresearched. This study’s purpose consists of determining whether there is a relationship between innovation and corporate sustainability in the financial industry. In doing so, this study responds to a critical question: are the most innovative firms also the most sustainability-oriented? We empirically explore sustainability-oriented innovation in the financial industry of 11 catching-up countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Using Community Innovation Survey (CIS) data for 2012–2014, this study empirically analyzes a large sample of 1574 firms in the financial industry. Our results suggest that innovation is positively linked to corporate sustainability, pointing out that innovation capabilities are positively related to sustainability. Our study proposes a framework for analyzing innovation and sustainability from a capability-perspective.

The effect of radical right fringe parties on main parties in Central and Eastern Europe: Empirical evidence from manifesto data

Party Politics ◽

10.1177/1354068819863620 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 135406881986362

Author(s):

Reinhard Heinisch ◽

Steven Saxonberg ◽

Annika Werner ◽

Fabian Habersack

Keyword(s):

Eastern Europe ◽

Empirical Evidence ◽

Central And Eastern Europe ◽

Radical Right ◽

Party Manifestos ◽

Using Data ◽

Communist Countries ◽

The Relationship ◽

Sociocultural Issues

Do radical right fringe parties affect main parties in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)? Using data from the Manifesto Project, we analyze the relationship between radical right fringe parties’ and main parties’ policy programs regarding sociocultural issues in six post-communist countries of CEE. Even though radical right fringe parties have participated in government in several of these countries, and in Hungary a fringe party has become the country’s second largest party, our analysis shows that the sociocultural issues in radical right fringe party manifestos do not systematically relate to the changes in main party manifestos regarding those issues. Even if some of the main parties in our study might often agree with the radical right fringe parties, our analysis shows that the latter do not directly influence the policy priorities of the main parties.

Creating Suspicion and Vigilance

Intersections ◽

10.17356/ieejsp.v3i3.366 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ákos Kopper ◽

Pál Susánszky ◽

Gergely Tóth ◽

Márton Gerő

Keyword(s):

Eastern Europe ◽

Political System ◽

Central And Eastern Europe ◽

Right Wing ◽

Liberal Democracies ◽

Political Actors ◽

Significant Case ◽

The Government ◽

Government Rules ◽

The Right

In recent years, many theoretical and empirical analyses about the changing regimes of Central and Eastern Europe have been written, pointing out the authoritarian tendencies and radicalization in the region. Hungary is a significant case in the changing landscape of Central and Eastern Europe. The right-wing government rules the country with incontestable force, despising and disrespecting the norms of liberal democracies. Although the general impression is that the government has such a strong grip on power that resisting it is futile, in fact, it only enjoys only the support of 30 per cent of Hungarian citizens. Thus, it would be reasonable to expect the opposition to be able to effectively mobilize against the regime. In reality, no political opponent seems to stand a chance of defeating it. In order to explain why this is so, we focus on the way Orbán constantly creates images of ‘the enemy’ that keep alive an atmosphere of vigilance that blocks the efforts of critical actors to efficiently mobilize citizens. Since the political system in Hungary is highly centralized, the prime-minister’s speeches epitomize the logic and ideology of the regime. Our aim is to understand the mechanism through which the dominant political actors frame the enemy in a system of images, thereby creating an environment where critical actors are stripped of the resources needed to mobilize against them.

Western Donors, Romani Organizations, and Uses of the Concept of Nation after 1989

Critical Romani Studies ◽

10.29098/crs.v3i1.52 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 26-45

Author(s):

Douglas Neander Sambati

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Eastern Europe ◽

Financial Support ◽

Central And Eastern Europe ◽

Nation Building ◽

The Relationship

This article discusses the relationship between Western donors and Romani and Romani-friendly organizations in Central and Eastern Europe after 1989. Based on literature review, interviews, reports, and websites, this paper upholds that the burst of Romani and Romani-friendly organizations in Central and Eastern Europe after 1989 primarily was made possible by financial support and expertise coming from Western organizations. Together with their work methodology, so-called donors took their own framework on understanding groupings and enforced the concept of nation upon Gypsy/Romani populations. Therefore, Western donors and Romani activists and intellectuals alike essentialized (claimed) Gypsy/Romani traits in order to support a nation-building rhetoric. These Romani activists and intellectuals, in turn, are a legacy of policies from planned economies, and they actually might represent Gypsy/Romani communities from a privileged perspective – no longer fully insiders but as a vanguard.

Between Individual Memory and Social Memory. What Do People in Poland Remember About 1989?

European Journal of Social Sciences ◽

10.26417/ejss.v3i1.p1-14 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Aneta Ostaszewska

Keyword(s):

Eastern Europe ◽

Collective Memory ◽

Central And Eastern Europe ◽

Social Memory ◽

Political Transformation ◽

The Past ◽

Individual Memory ◽

Collapse Of Communism ◽

The Individual ◽

The Relationship

30 years have passed since the events of 1989 that led to the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe. In the paper the themes of social memory of political transformation in Poland in 1989 are discussed. The content of online statements collected from popular Polish news portals are analysed. When asking the question what events and experiences do Poles bring back when they think of 1989, I am interested in the relationship between the individual (biographical) memory and collective memory – the socially reconstructed knowledge of the past.

Against the Current

Poliarchia ◽

10.12797/poliarchia.03.2015.05.05 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (5) ◽

pp. 93-131

Author(s):

Emma Klever

Keyword(s):

Eastern Europe ◽

Identity Construction ◽

Western Europe ◽

Central And Eastern Europe ◽

The Self ◽

The Other ◽

The European Union ◽

Political Reality ◽

Discourse Historical Approach ◽

The Relationship

The political reality of the European Union is not reflected in the general discourse on the relationship between Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe, which is characterized by an adverse attitude towards the latter. This impacts identity construction on the European level, where Central and Eastern Europe has long been regarded as the “Other” against which the European “self ” was defined. However, a new discourse on this relationship has emerged in literary works written by scholars and journalists that are able to take an overarching perspective. The present study analyses four publications to see how the relationship between Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe is portrayed in terms of the self and the Other, employing the Discourse Historical Approach and a spectrum of the self and the Other perspectives. It emerges that the discussed authors share a discourse which respects differences, focuses on similarities as well as differences and shows an awareness of the interwovenness of the narratives of the self and the Other. This new, shared discourse holds directions for the further development of a European-wide discourse that includes the same notions of respect and the interwovenness of narratives, and which could in turn influence European identity construction.

Eastern Europe: Euro-Skepticism and Right Conservative Trend

World Economy and International Relations ◽

10.20542/0131-2227-2012-8-49-58 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 49-58

Author(s):

S. Biryukov ◽

A. Kovalenko

Keyword(s):

Eastern Europe ◽

Central And Eastern Europe ◽

Right Wing ◽

East European ◽

European Crisis

The authors study the fate of the Eastern Europe and its possible role in the context of the European crisis, investigate the rise of right-wing conservative forces in the Central and Eastern Europe. In particular, they analyze the role of right-wing parties in the process of transformation of the ideological platform of the East European Euroscepticism.

EU-China investment deal is running out of time

Emerald Expert Briefings ◽

10.1108/oxan-db262590 ◽

2021 ◽

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Eastern Europe ◽

Central And Eastern Europe ◽

European Council ◽

Southern Europe ◽

Right Wing ◽

Content Type ◽

Labour Standards ◽

Economic Ties ◽

The Eu

Significance According to Beijing, Merkel and Macron showed their willingness to ratify quickly the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). However, opposition to the CAI is growing in Europe, with parliamentarians particularly concerned about Chinese sanctions and China’s record on human rights and labour standards. Impacts The recent European Council rejection of Macron and Merkel’s proposal on Russia suggests the two leaders’ influence in the EU is waning. The likely emergence of a right-wing government in Italy in 2022 or 2023 would see Rome hardening its position on China. Deterioration in EU-China economic ties would disproportionately hurt economies in southern Europe and Central and Eastern Europe.