Elections and democracy after communism?
By: Erik S. Herron.
Publisher: Palgrave-Macmillan; Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2009
Place of publication: New York City, NY
Language: eng
Number of pages: 238
ISBN-13: 9780230600959
Subjects: Elections -- Former Soviet republics; Democracy -- Former Soviet republics; Post-communism
Description: After the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union, hope was high for democracy's introduction to Eastern Europe and Eurasia. By the end of the twentieth century, a handful of the fifteen successor states had become democratic, but most were authoritarian or semi-authoritarian. Elections and Democracy after Communism? assesses the contradictory trajectories of post-communist states, focusing on the evolution of electoral practices. Chapters address the design and consequences of election rules, voter decisions to participate in elections and support specific parties, the use of referendums, election quality, and public responses to allegations of election fraud.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Understanding elections and democracy in post-Soviet space; title: Elections under Soviet authoritarianism; title: Electoral system design and re-design; title: Consequences of electoral system choice; title: Citizens and the incentives to vote; title: Political party evolution; title: Referendums as direct democracy; title: Administrative architecture of elections; title: Assessing election quality; title: Election fraud and public protest; title: Conclusion.