"Europeanization of the core executive in the transition from circumstances of EU accession to full EU membership"

Only recently have the direct and indirect ‘European’ impacts (of political outcomes at the European level) on domestic political systems started to be studied (i.e. Spanou, 1998; Bulmer and Burch, 1998 and 2001; Kassim, Peters and Wright, eds. 2000; Goetz and Hix, eds. 2001; Knill, 2001; Schneider and Aspinwall, eds. 2001; Goetz, ed., 2001; Laffan, 2001b). For the purpose of our paper, we understand Europeanization processes as the impacts of EU integration on specific countries' political institution-building and institutional adjustments including constitutional and administrative law, as well as on how the political system is organized and operated. This paper focuses on one of the three alternative perspectives of the ‘top-down’ approach to studying the processes of Europeanization as defined by Goetz (2001), namely the linkage perspective. Obviously, for recent new EU member states it is the national administrative adjustments for negotiating accession with the EU that have so far prevailed over national administrative adjustments made in the circumstances of (very recent) full EU membership. Our comparative research of three EU accession states/recent new EU member states, in line with a dynamic view, include Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia. While taking some key common features of the selected countries into account, the countries’ idiosyncrasies including variations in the institutional adaptation of their core executives relying on research findings in the framework of the European project ‘Organizing for Enlargement’ are investigated. Preliminary comparative research findings and tentative conclusions on variables that may cause variations in the adaptation of national administrations to the European integration challenges in the three (otherwise in some respects) relatively similar countries are presented

Factors of Party System Europeanisation: A Comparison of Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro

For the former Yugoslav republics involved in the 1991–1995 War, the EU’s demands are not only defined by the relationship of these EU-aspiring countries to EU political criteria and harmonization with the acquis communautaire, but primarily, and very importantly, in relation to maintaining peace and developing security in the region. Our primary research interest is to find an explanation for the variations seen between Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro in their responses to very similar EU demands. While the three analysed countries share some common characteristics (former communist rule, involvement in the War in former Yugoslavia, postponed transition to democracy and Europeanization pressures), their relations with the EU as well as their national party system competitions regarding EU matters have differed quite significantly. Variations in the three countries’ national party system mechanics in the field of EU matters are explained by the three following variables: institutionalization of the national party system; the European socialization of national party élites and voters’ attitudes to their country’s integration into the EU

The Political Instrumentalisation of Policy Analysis

In the early stage, Lasswellian policy analysis was overtly value-oriented, stressing that the goal of policy analysis and policy analysts should be to improve the state of human wellbeing, democracy, the rule of law, human rights, the respect for human dignity and individual choice. However, policy analysis has since evolved in many directions. One of them is the instrumentalisation of policy analysis in its broader transnational social and political contexts. This paper will focus on the role of policy analysis in the latest wave of democratisation and the introduction of capitalist economics to post-communist countries, especially those involved in the European integration process

Political science - Slovenia

Analysis of the pre-1989 situation; The development of political science since 1989; Core theoretical and methodological orientations; Thematic orientation and funding; Public space and academic debates; Views on further development and major challenges

The Political Instrumentalisation of Policy Analysis

In the early stage, Lasswellian policy analysis was overtly value-oriented, stressing that the goal of policy analysis and policy analysts should be to improve the state of human wellbeing, democracy, the rule of law, human rights, the respect for human dignity and individual choice. However, policy analysis has since evolved in many directions. One of them is the instrumentalisation of policy analysis in its broader transnational social and political contexts. This paper will focus on the role of policy analysis in the latest wave of democratisation and the introduction of capitalist economics to post-communist countries, especially those involved in the European integration process

Prema dominaciji izvršne vlasti

This article examines the recent processes of globalization and (within this framework) Europeanization, with a focus on the changes in national political Systems (particularly in post-communist EU member states) due to the pressures of these processes. The main thesis is that national executives have been gaining power in relation to the legislative due to international pressures. The international financial and economic crisis has added to this trend as countries become more financially dependent on International centers of power which demand efficient economic liberalization from national executives as a precondition for the required international loans. The case study of Slovenia is presented from a comparative perspective (in some aspects being a deviant case) so as to offer new theoretical insights into the mechanisms of strengthening the national executives.Rad istražuje recentne procese globalizacije te (u tom kontekstu) proces europeizacije, s fokusom na promjenama nacionalnih političkih sustava (posebice u postkomunističkim zemljama članicama EU-a) koje su rezultat utjecaja tih procesa. Osnovna je teza rada da je nacionalna egzekutiva pod međunarodnim pritiscima i zahtjevima postigla dodatnu akumulaciju moći u odnosu na zakonodavnu vlast. Međunarodna financijska i ekonomska kriza doprinijela je tom trendu jer su države postale dodatno financijski ovisne o međunarodnim centrima moći koji od nacionalnih izvršnih vlasti zahtijevaju efikasniju ekonomsku liberalizaciju kao preduvjet traženih međunarodnih pozajmica. Studija slučaja Slovenije prikazana je u komparativnoj perspektivi (u pojedinim aspektima prikazana kao devijantni slučaj) tako da nudi nove teorijske uvide u mehanizme koji jačaju nacionalne egzekutive

Stručni projekt studija političkih znanosti u Sloveniji: od komunističkoga monizma, demokratizacije i europeizacije do financijske krize

In this article, we assess the effects of democratic transition, the introduction of a capitalist economy, the creation of a newly independent state and international economic and political integrations on the employment potential of political science graduates. While we particularly focus on Slovenia, we will also consider the broader challenges faced by many professions across Europe. The empirical study is based on a series of tracer surveys carried out since 1969, as well as an analysis of political science programme curricula, enrolment and graduation statistics and official data on employability. The statistical and survey data is supplemented by stakeholders\u27 views. Our main finding is that, paradoxically, under socialism, the pressures on political science supported internal professional integration so that the profession was better able to adapt to the initial democratisation than to market-induced domestic changes and the challenges of global competitiveness (including the Bologna HE reform). The recent international financial and economic crisis has only reinforced these challenges.Autori u članku procjenjuju učinke demokratske tranzicije, uvođenja kapitalističkoga gospodarstva, stvaranja nove neovisne države i pristupanja međunarodnim gospodarskim i političkim integracijama na mogućnosti zapošljavanja diplomanata studija političkih znanosti. Iako je pažnja usmjerena na Sloveniju, članak otkriva općenite izazove s kojima se suočavaju mnoge struke diljem Europe. Empirijsko istraživanje temelji se na nizu "tracer" istraživanja provedenih od 1969., na analizi kurikula studija političkih znanosti, statistici upisa i diplomiranja i službenih podataka o mogućnostima zapošljavanja. Statističke i istraživačke podatke podržavaju i stajališta dionika. Glavni nalaz autora jest paradoks da su, u socijalizmu, pritisci na političke znanosti poticali unutarnju stručnu integraciju, tako da se struka mogla bolje prilagoditi početnoj demokratizaciji nego tržištem izazvanim domaćim promjenama i izazovima globalne konkurentnosti (uključujući bolonjsku reformu visokog obrazovanja). Nedavna međunarodna financijska i gospodarska kriza samo je ojačala ove izazove

Europeanisation of the Slovenian party system – from marginal European impacts to the domestification of EU policy issues?

While more general research findings on the impact of European integration on party system competition in post-socialist EU countries remain inconclusive, some studies have shown direct interdependence between the deepening of democratisation and its Europeanisation. Whereas in successfully democratising new EU members EU pressure to satisfy the political criteria did not create deep tensions between intergovernmental and domestic levels, this was not the case in Slovakia. Based on Slovakian experiences and taking the unfinished process of EU enlargement into account, the authors suggest: a) a theoretical model encompassing a two-level game; and b) a greater variety of research units (allowing a bigger variety of national political characteristics as well as EU-impacts) to be included in further research efforts. The model was tested on Slovenia. While in Slovenia (like most recent post-socialist EU member states) the EU’s relatively weak impact on political parties and party competition could be observed in the accession period, full EU membership has created greater space for EU-policy related cleavages on the basis of the domestic pattern of party system competition (left-right, government-opposition parties)

Is Consultation Everything? The Influence of Interest Groups on Parliamentary Working Bodies in Slovenia

Empirical data gathered from surveys of MPs & interest groups in Slovenia reveal that the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia is a relatively powerful & accessible political institution. Parliamentary working bodies are perceived by MPs & interest groups as the focal point of their contacts. While MPs find interest groups to be both valuable sources of input into the legislative process & relatively influential policy actors, interest groups are relatively happy with how accessible MPs are, though they are less happy with their own impact on parliamentary decision-making. Despite the direct exchange between MPs & interest groups, political parties still play an important gatekeeping role. The identified factors of the impact of interest groups on the legislative process include the formally defined roles & competencies of parliamentary working bodies, policy sector variations, European interest-group networking, & the leadership styles of those who chair the working bodies