Emergence and divergence : Institutional Change in Central and Eastern Europe and the Impact of Europe

Digitised version produced by the EUI Library and made available online in 2020

Governing new European democracies

'Governing new European democracies' is a fully comparative study of decision-making processes in the cabinets of ten post-communist countries of East-Central and South-Eastern Europe. It is based on interviews collected from over 300 ministers to such questions as how far do cabinet members participate in cabinet meetings, how do they assess their prime ministers, how do they relate to their departments and to the civil servants under them. Thus, this book provides the first comprehensive panorama of life in cabinet governments from those who are the main actors in these institutions.Introduction. -- 1. The cabinet as the new form of government in post-communist democracies. -- Part I. The general arrangements. -- 2. The end of communism and the new party system. -- 3. The anatomy of central Eastern European cabinets. -- 4. The rules and the operating procedures in cabinet. -- 5. An overall descriptive view : what ministers think of cabinet government. -- Part II. Parties and types of cabinets in the view of ministers. -- 6. Party government and cabinet decision-making. -- 7. Coalitions, single-party governments and cabinet decision-making. -- Part III. The cabinet administration in the view of ministers. -- 8. How ministers view the role of prime ministers' offices. -- 9. Ministers and the role of civil servants in cabinet decision-making. -- Part IV. The members of the cabinet in the views of the ministers. -- 10. Ministers and cabinet decision-making. -- 11. Finance ministers and cabinet decision-making. -- 12. Prime ministers and cabinet decision-making. -- 13 Conclusion