Bulgaria's Democratic Institutions at Thirty

A Balance Sheet

Edited by Kjell Engelbrekt and Petia Kostadinova - Contributions by Tanya Bagashka; Maria Bakardjieva; Kjell Engelbrekt; Elza Ibroscheva; Petia Kostadinova; Tatiana Kostadinova; Maria Popova; Plamen Ralchev; Reini Schrama; Maria Stoilkova; Maria Stover; Dragomir Stoyanov; Stoycho P. Stoychev and Asya Zhelyazkova

Thirty years after Bulgaria’s democratic breakthrough, this book provides a “balance sheet” of the country’s democratic institutions through a number of interdisciplinary contributions. The volume is organized around three themes—democratic institutions, civil society, and European Union (EU) processes—and examines such topics such as voting, political parties, populism, media, civil society organizations, identity, and the rule of law. While the contributors argue that Bulgaria’s democracy is successful in terms of the procedural norms of democracy, civic participation, and compliance with EU rules, they also identify serious problem areas. Bulgaria’s democratic institutions struggle with obstacles such as populist Euroscepticism, political elitism, corruption, and a lack of political accountability, though this volume fully acknowledges the historical development of Bulgarian democracy, including its achievements and continuing setbacks.

Lexington Books

Pages: 316 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9

978-1-7936-0772-0 • Hardback • May 2020 • $135.00 • (£104.00)

978-1-7936-0773-7 • eBook • May 2020 • $45.00 • (£35.00)

Subjects: Political Science / World / Russian & Former Soviet Union, History / Europe / Eastern, Political Science / Political Ideologies / Democracy

Bulgaria's Democratic Institutions at Thirty

A Balance Sheet

Hardback

eBook

Summary

Thirty years after Bulgaria’s democratic breakthrough, this book provides a “balance sheet” of the country’s democratic institutions through a number of interdisciplinary contributions. The volume is organized around three themes—democratic institutions, civil society, and European Union (EU) processes—and examines such topics such as voting, political parties, populism, media, civil society organizations, identity, and the rule of law. While the contributors argue that Bulgaria’s democracy is successful in terms of the procedural norms of democracy, civic participation, and compliance with EU rules, they also identify serious problem areas. Bulgaria’s democratic institutions struggle with obstacles such as populist Euroscepticism, political elitism, corruption, and a lack of political accountability, though this volume fully acknowledges the historical development of Bulgarian democracy, including its achievements and continuing setbacks.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 316 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9

978-1-7936-0772-0 • Hardback • May 2020 • $135.00 • (£104.00)

978-1-7936-0773-7 • eBook • May 2020 • $45.00 • (£35.00)

Subjects: Political Science / World / Russian & Former Soviet Union, History / Europe / Eastern, Political Science / Political Ideologies / Democracy

Author

Kjell Engelbrekt is professor at the Swedish Defence University, visiting professor at Stockholm University, and nonresident senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Petia Kostadinova is associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Table of Contents

Chapter One: Thirty Years of Bulgarian Democracy: Lessons (Partly) Learned

Petia Kostadinova

Part I: The National Electoral Process

Chapter Two: Direct Democracy and Electoral System Reform

Tanya Bagashka

Chapter Three: Preferential Voting and Party Loyalty: How Bulgarian Voters Respond to Parties’ Choices

Tatiana Kostadinova

Chapter Four: Representation Trends in Pledge Making: Do Election Promises Reflect Distinctions between Political Parties in Bulgaria?

Petia Kostadinova

Chapter Five: State Capture: A Crippling Political Affliction and the Search for Antidotes

Stoycho P. Stoychev

Part II: Civil Society

Chapter Six: Bulgarian Populist Nationalism on Digital Steroids: The Case of Siderov’s Ataka Party

Elza Ibroscheva and Maria Stover

Chapter Seven: The Permutations of Bulgarian Citizens and Migration Post-1989

Maria Stoilkova

Chapter Eight: Digital Media and the Thinning Out of Civic Activism: Empowerment/Disempowerment of the Savvy Few

Maria Bakardjieva and Kjell Engelbrekt

Part III: The European Context

Chapter Nine: The Role of Civil Society in EU Policy Implementation in Bulgaria

Asya Zhelyazkova and Reini Schrama

Chapter Ten: When Anti-establishment and Euroscepticism Converge: Bulgarian Party Politics 2001-2019

Dragomir Stoyanov and Plamen Ralchev

Chapter Eleven: The Post-Communist Judiciary: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Maria Popova

Chapter Twelve: Concluding Thoughts

Kjell Engelbrekt

Bulgaria's Democratic Institutions at Thirty

A Balance Sheet

Bulgaria's Democratic Institutions at Thirty

A Balance Sheet

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