Jan Pakulski

Postcommunist Elites and Democracy in Eastern Europe

Acknowledgements - Notes on the Contributors - Introduction: Elite Change and Democratic Regimes in Eastern Europe J.Higley, J.Pakulski & W.Wesolowski - The Russian Political Elites, 1991-1995. Recruitment and Renewal D.Lane & C.Ross - Elite Cohesion and Division: Transition in Gorbachevs Russia D.Lane - Elite Conceptions of Russias Present and Future L.V.Babayeva - Elites, Institutions, and Political Change in East Central Europe: Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia T.A.Baylis - Czech and Slovak Political and Parliamentary Elites L.Brokl & Z.Mansfeldova - Elite Transformation and Democratic Consolidation in Germany after 1945 and 1989 U.Hoffmann-Lange - Elite Circulation and Consolidation of Democracy in Poland J.Wasilewski - A Self-Portrait of the Polish Political Elite I.Pankow - The Hungarian Economic Elite in the First Half of the 1990s G.Lengyel - Bulgaria: A Quasi-Elite S.E.Nikolov - Electoral Politics in Eastern Europe: Social and Ideological Influences on Partisanship in Post-Communist Societies S.Whitefield & G.Evans - The Relationship Between Elites and the Working Class: On Coupling, Uncoupling, Democracy and (In)equality E.Etzioni-Halevy - Elites and Decommunization in Eastern Europe C.G.Enriquez - Index

Environmentalism and Social Differentiation A paper in memory of Steve Crook

This is a tribute to the late Steve Crook who shared with us the excitement of research on environmentalism. As we predicted, environmental activism in Australia remains socially circumscribed, but its scope, and the scope of environmental concerns, have been widening. Differentiation and proliferation of environmental issues combine with social diffusion and routinization. The proportion of people who see the environment as a salient issue continues to be relatively high, in spite of an increasing competition from new issue concerns, including security and illegal migration. The new ‘white’ environmental issues enter the public arena reflecting widespread (though less urgent) concerns about genetic modification of food-crops and cloning of human tissue – all interpreted as ‘interference with nature’. The ‘white’ environmental issues attract the concern of new social categories of ‘conscience environmentalists’ who are more likely to be women, tend to be older, religious, and less attracted by green organizations. They are also less metropolitan in their location, and not as leftist and postmaterial in their value preferences as their ‘green’ and ‘brown’ predecessors. The formation of the ‘white’ environmental issue cluster and constituency opens the way for new ideological reinterpretations of environmental outlook – and for new political alliances.

Elite transformation in central and eastern Europe

Changing configurations of national elites are shaping the prospects for democracy in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. There are three broad possibilities: (1) increasingly unchecked and violent power struggles between elites, with regimes oscillating between democratic and authoritarian forms; (2) restrained elite competitions in accordance with democratic game rules and tacit accommodations, with regimes gradually becoming stable democracies; (3) takeovers by ultra‐nationalist elites through coups or plebiscitary victories, with regimes becoming state‐corporatist in form and quasi‐fascist in operation. Crucial questions are the extent and nature of elite unity and differentiation. This article identifies elite configurations and the most likely regime outcomes in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.

Revolution and elite transformation in Eastern Europe

The external and internal causes, elite‐mass dynamics, and elite‐level changes that appear, respectively, to have preceded, accompanied, and followed the revolutionary upheavals in Eastern Europe between 1989–1991 are examined comparatively. Particular attention is paid to the possible emergence of national elites that share a consensus on rules of the game and that are unified in defence of democratic institutions. Prospects for such elites are judged to be best in Poland and Hungary, less good in Czechoslovakia, poor in Romania, Bulgaria and Albania, and virtually nonexistent in the Yugoslav republics.

Eastern Europe and ‘legitimacy crisis’

An unexpectedly swift collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe amidst flares of mass dissent raises doubts about the accuracy of explanations of the persistence of these regimes in terms of ‘legitimacy’ and their fall in terms of ‘legitimacy crisis’. Such explanations are criticised and rejected as theoretically inadequate and lacking empirical support. It is argued that East European regimes had never developed mass legitimacy, and that even before the current upheavals they showed clear symptoms of non‐legitimate domination. In order to suggest an alternative interpretation of their persistence and fall, the paper clarifies the meaning of the term ‘legitimacy’, suggests reasons for the popularity of ‘legitimacy interpretations’, and critically assesses the empirical evidence for the alleged legitimacy and ‘legitimacy crises’. The concluding section outlines the bases of (non‐legitimate) communist domination and looks at the problems of (re‐establishing legitimate authority by the post‐communist E...

Confusions about multiculturalism

Australian multiculturalism – an integrative policy strategy aiming at managing cultural diversity – was adopted as government policy in Australia in the 1970s. In its original rendition, Australian multiculturalism was embedded in classical sociological theory, integrative, reciprocal, egalitarian and respectful of the majority. However, it has also been confused with ethnic pluralism and assimilationist ‘melting pot’ approaches, and these confusions are apparent in the recent European and domestic criticisms. The article outlines the principles of Australian multiculturalism, identifies its theoretical foundations, and highlights some of the popular confusions about its meaning, focus and objectives.

Elite Power Games and Democratic Politics in Central and Eastern Europe

Most elites and mass publics in the postcommunist countries of Central and Eastern Europe came to take democratic elections for granted during the 1990s. Reasonably fair and free elections produced one or more government alternations in the Baltic republics, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and Slovakia. In these important respects, the countries were on the road to democratic consolidation, and three of them — the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland — nearly completed their journeys. Even in the region’s more strife-torn countries — Albania, Belarus, Croatia, Macedonia, Russia, Ukraine, and what remained of Yugoslavia — elections reshuffled parliaments and local governments in ways that limited what dominant parties and leaders could get away with, although no clear government alternation occurred electorally.

Globalisation, immigration and multiculturalism – the European and Australian experiences

Australian multiculturalism – an integrative policy strategy aiming at managing cultural diversity – was adopted as government policy in Australia in the 1970s. In its original rendition, Australian multiculturalism was embedded in classical sociological theory, integrative, reciprocal, egalitarian and respectful of the majority. However, it has also been confused with ethnic pluralism and assimilationist ‘melting pot’ approaches, and these confusions are apparent in the recent European and domestic criticisms. The article outlines the principles of Australian multiculturalism, identifies its theoretical foundations, and highlights some of the popular confusions about its meaning, focus and objectives.

Elites, Institutions and Democratisation in Russia and Eastern Europe

The collapse of communist regimes in Russia and Eastern Europe between 1989 and 1991 inaugurated a period of momentous political change, the ultimate outcomes of which are still unknown. With few exceptions, post-communist political leaders have committed themselves to transforming their countries’ political and economic institutions in accord with the Western liberal model. The politics of the region have thus been dominated since the late 1980s by efforts to replace the institutions of state socialism with those of the market economy and representative democracy.

Book Reviews : FORMATIONS OF MODERNITY. Edited by Stuart Hall and Bram Gieben. Oxford and Cambridge, Polity Press in association with Basil Blackwell and the Open University, 1992.

plan’, competent and up-to-date coverage of historical developments and theoretical debates, well-thoughtthrough topics for discussion, and carefully selected sets of illustrative readings. Despite this apparent didacticism, however, this is not just another introductory social science text. The book also presents a series of provocative and exciting arguments that bring the reader straight into the