Interest Groups, Political Parties and Representation

Why are political parties in post-communist Europe becoming increasingly detached from citizens, and can interest groups fill the resulting representational gap? To answer these questions, this book provides a systematic cross‑national analysis of party-interest group relations across Central-Eastern Europe.Incorporating original survey data from interest groups and qualitative interviews, chapters examine whether ties have developed into institutionalized, Western‑style linkages or whether they remain informal. The book assesses how multiple crises, from the COVID‑19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine, have reshaped organizational access, resources and resilience. Paweł Kamiński investigates the extent to which organized civil society can compensate for the representative deficits of cartelized and professionalized parties. Challenging assumptions about democratic resilience, the book reveals how interest groups’ capacity to rectify these deficits depends on how they navigate political pressures, competition and their own organizational legacies.Researchers specialised in European politics and public policy, public administration and management and political theory will greatly benefit from the book's comparative analysis of party-group relations in post-communist Europe. It will also be useful to students of democratization, democratic backsliding, clientelism and civil society development.