Mieczysław P. Boduszyński - Böcker

In the 1990s, amid political upheaval and civil war, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia dissolved into five successor states. The subsequent independence of Montenegro and Kosovo brought the total number to seven. Balkan scholar and diplomat to the region Mieczyslaw P. Boduszynski examines four of those states-Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-and traces their divergent paths toward democracy and Euro-Atlantic integration over the past two decades. Boduszynski argues that regime change in the Yugoslav successor states was powerfully shaped by both internal and external forces: the economic conditions on the eve of independence and transition and the incentives offered by the European Union and other Western actors to encourage economic and political liberalization. He shows how these factors contributed to differing formulations of democracy in each state. The author engages with the vexing problems of creating and sustaining democracy when circumstances are not entirely supportive of the effort.He employs innovative concepts to measure the quality of and prospects for democracy in the Balkan region, arguing that procedural indicators of democratization do not adequately describe the stability of liberalism in post-communist states. This unique perspective on developments in the region provides relevant lessons for regime change in the larger post-communist world. Scholars, practitioners, and policymakers will find the book to be a compelling contribution to the study of comparative politics, democratization, and European integration.

The most practical guide to conducting research in Politics and International Relations. This textbook sets out how to approach every stage of your research project, from formulating a research question and research design, to detailed guidance on using specific methods and writing up your paper.Packed with practical tips throughout, this second edition:•Offers a troubleshooting feature to help you with the most common blockages and questions at each stage of the process•Has unrivalled coverage, with brand-new chapters on all the key methods used in Politics and IR, from discourse analysis and interviews to descriptive and inferential statistics.•Engages with some of the most cutting-edge research with examples spanning current issues from climate change to great power competition.•Helps you engage with theory in your research project, with a standalone chapter mapping theoretical perspectives and how to engage with theory successfully in your research. •Is immersed in practical application with two "Research in Practice" features running throughout the book to show methods in practice. Lamont and Boduszynski’s new book is eminently readable and designed for all students of Politics and IR, whether on an introductory methods course or undertaking a research project.Christopher Lamont is Dean of E-Track’s International Relations program and Vice Dean of the Graduate School of International Relations at Tokyo International University in Japan.Mieczyslaw P. Boduszynski is Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at Pomona College in California, USA.