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This monograph is a major survey of East Central European (ECE) political elites and concentrates on Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. It is grounded within classic elite theory slightly adapted to ECE necessities. More practically, the book examines political elite composition and identifies political elite fragmentation in ECE. The author questions that East Central European political elites have incorporated democratic values and conduct. The main argument is that there is a significant gap between the formal democratic ECE institutions and political elite behaviour. This gap has different dimensions which are relevant at the domestic level and also cause problems at the EU level. Ultimately, the political elite-institution gap questions democratic political achievements after 1989. In providing a major analysis of ECE political elite structure and conduct the book points to the most urgent challenges of ECE political systems – the reform of the political elite. From the content: The Importance of Analysing ECE Elites Forms of Political Elite Formation and Activity Political Elite Fragmentation in ECE Elite Formation and Reproduction in East Central Europe Patterns of Political Elite Behaviour Influencing Political Elite Behaviour Institutional Change after 1989 The Relationship between Europeanisation and Euroscepticism Elite Systems in East Central Europe Case Studies: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary Implications of Elite Attitudes for Europeanisation Political Elites: Incapable Europeanisers?

Socialism as Sinnwelt : communist dictatorship and its world of meaning in a cultural-historical perspective / Martin Sabrow -- Neither consent nor opposition : Eigen-Sinn, or, How to make sense of compliance and self-assertion under communist domination / Thomas Lindenberger -- Policeman Nicolae : the story of one man's life and work in the Socialist Republic of Romania (1960-89) / Ciprian Cirniala -- The East German reporting system : normality and legitimacy through bureaucracy / Hedwig Richter -- Late communist elites and the demise of state socialism in Czechoslovakia (1986-1989) / Michal Pullmann -- Local self-governance, voluntary practices, and the Sinnwelt of socialist Velenje / Ana Kladnik -- Modern housekeeping worlds; or, How much is thirty percent really? : Eigensinnige consumer practices and the Hungarian trade union's "washing machine campaign" of 1957-58 / Annina Gagyiova -- Single mothers, lonely children : Polish families, socialist modernity, and the experience of crisis of the late 1970s and 1980s / Barbara Klich-Kluczewska -- "Since Makarenko the time for experiments has passed" : peace, gender, and human rights in East Berlin during the 1980s / Celia Donert -- Problems with progress in late socialist Czechoslovakia : the example Most, North Bohemia / Matĕj Spurný -- Authentic community and autonomous individual : making sense of socialism in late socialist Hungary / Péter Apor -- The "will to publicity" and its publicists : curating the memory of Czechoslovak Samizdat / Jonathan Larson -- Dissident legalism : human rights, socialist legality, and the birth of legal resistance in the 1970s democratic opposition in Czechoslovakia and Poland / Michal Kopeček.

The article is devoted to the research of problem of legitimating of state policy, analyzing and generalization of informational policy experience of Central and East Europe countries during the Euro-Atlantic and European integration and application of this experience in order to provide the wide and constant public support of deepening and widening of relations of Ukraine with EU and NATO. The experience of development, planning and practical realization of informational actions in The Republic of Poland, Czech Republic, The Republic of Hungary, Bulgaria, The Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Romania, The Republic of Latvia, The Republic of Lithuania, The Republic of Estonia has been analyzed and generalized. The indissoluble link of Euro-Atlantic and European integration has been proved, the conclusion about sequence of integrative processes: first exactly Euro-Atlantic one and after European one – has been drawn. It was indicated that sense of entry of Central and East Europe countries either to NATO or to EU included the solid transformations of the whole system of social, political and economic life. Experience of these countries testified that all of them used process of preparation to membership in NATO as a step to membership in EU. The conclusion about tasks for Ukraine about content of process of acquiring the membership either in NATO or in EU has been drawn, its point is adaptation to standards approved in EU and NATO ; Статья посвящена исследованию проблемы легитимации государственной политики, анализу и обобщению опыта информационной политика стран Центрально-Восточной Европы в процессе евроатлантической и европейской интеграции и использования этого опыта с целью обеспечения широкой и постоянной общественной поддержки углубления и расширения отношений Украины с ЕС и НАТО. Проанализировано и обобщенно опыт разработки, планирования и практической реализации информационных мероприятий в Республике Польша, Чешской Республике, Венгерской Республике, Болгарии, Словацкой Республике, Словении, Румынии, Латвийской Республике, Литовской Республике, Эстонской Республике ; Статтю присвячено дослідженню проблеми легітимації державної політики, аналізу та узагальненню досвіду інформаційної політики країн Центрально-Східної Європи у процесі євроатлантичної і європейської інтеграції та використання цього досвіду з метою забезпечення широкої і постійної громадської підтримки щодо поглиблення і розширення відносин України з ЄС та НАТО. Проаналізовано і узагальнено досвід розробки, планування та практичної реалізації інформаційних заходів у Республіці Польща, Чеській Республіці, Угорській Республіці, Болгарії, Словацькій Республіці, Словенії, Румунії, Латвійській Республіці, Литовській Республіці, Естонській Республіці

Theory suggests that the political effects of referendums should vary according to the institutional provisions that allow for direct involvement of citizens in decision-making. Relying on extant theoretical models the paper proposes initial tests of some implications for the newly democratized countries in Eastern and Central Europe. The constitutions of these countries distinguish themselves by a wide variety of institutional provisions for referendums. Taking advantage of this increased variance, the paper demonstrates effects of different institutional provisions on policy outcomes, which, so far, have only been demonstrated at the sub-national level, for example, in the United States and Switzerland.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) assumed a prominent role in Central East Europe (CEE) early on in the transition process. Foreign investors were assigned the task of restructuring markets, providing capital and knowledge for investment in technologically outdated and financially ailing firms.

The following article analyzes the experiences of female political activists from Eastern and Central Europe in Berlin. Semi-structured interviews with women (aged 20–35) were conducted and analyzed using the intersectional approach originally proposed by N. Degele and G. Winker. Intersectionality is described as a system of interactions between inequality-creating social structures (power relations), symbolic representations, and identity constructions. All the women who participated in this study describe activism as an important aspect of their identities. For non-German citizens, the activist identity is closely related to the migrant identity and is one of the major reasons they decided to move to Germany. Negative experiences in a country of origin were contrasted with a tolerant activist environment in Berlin. However, German citizens with no negative experiences in their countries of origin also implied a contrast between the "less tolerant East" and "more tolerant West". The distinction was constructed either as a symbolical representation or articulation of experience of intergenerational conflict.

This article deals with the property tax reform that was carried out in Lithuania as well as in other Eastern and Central European countries since the 1990s. Since the beginning of the 1990s most countries of this region have reshaped their national systems from command to free market economy, created a stabile market and some of them joined the European Union. Most of the new EU Member States from Eastern and Central Europe have taken much effort to make their national taxation more consistent and attractive for investors. In particular, these countries have already diminished or consider diminishing the rates of corporate, income and some other taxes. On the other hand, the decreased revenue should be collected from other sources. In this context, property taxes are supposed to be a proper alternative to reimburse the loss of revenue. Furthermore, property taxes are also appreciated due to their nonfiscal functions (e.g.role of property taxation for sustainable urbanisation, effective use of land, land improvement). Major economic and legal reforms in Eastern and Central European countries since the 1990s as well as their implication to the reform of property taxation are observed in this article. The author elucidates privatization, restitution (reestablishment of property rights), reforms of national tax systems, local governance, etc. It is concluded that not all the anticipated reforms have been carried out as quickly as they were planned. The protracted reform of modernisation of property taxes was partly stipulated by undeveloped real estate markets, lack of relevant data, delayed reestablishment of property rights as well as some other objective factors. On the other hand, the politicians were afraid to loose political support if they increase a tax burden. Moreover, lack of consistent national strategies on local taxes and local governance has contributed to successful finalization of property taxation.

This article deals with the property tax reform that was carried out in Lithuania as well as in other Eastern and Central European countries since the 1990s. Since the beginning of the 1990s most countries of this region have reshaped their national systems from command to free market economy, created a stabile market and some of them joined the European Union. Most of the new EU Member States from Eastern and Central Europe have taken much effort to make their national taxation more consistent and attractive for investors. In particular, these countries have already diminished or consider diminishing the rates of corporate, income and some other taxes. On the other hand, the decreased revenue should be collected from other sources. In this context, property taxes are supposed to be a proper alternative to reimburse the loss of revenue. Furthermore, property taxes are also appreciated due to their nonfiscal functions (e.g.role of property taxation for sustainable urbanisation, effective use of land, land improvement). Major economic and legal reforms in Eastern and Central European countries since the 1990s as well as their implication to the reform of property taxation are observed in this article. The author elucidates privatization, restitution (reestablishment of property rights), reforms of national tax systems, local governance, etc. It is concluded that not all the anticipated reforms have been carried out as quickly as they were planned. The protracted reform of modernisation of property taxes was partly stipulated by undeveloped real estate markets, lack of relevant data, delayed reestablishment of property rights as well as some other objective factors. On the other hand, the politicians were afraid to loose political support if they increase a tax burden. Moreover, lack of consistent national strategies on local taxes and local governance has contributed to successful finalization of property taxation.