Sharon L. Wolchik - Böcker

Women in Power in Post-Communist Parliaments examines the life and work of women who have reached positions of political power after the end of communism in Europe. It explores the roles they have adopted, the relationships they have cultivated, and the agendas they have pursued. Much of the literature on women in post-Communist states has focused on one or two countries. This volume treats the issues comparatively, in six countries—the Czech Republic, Germany (with a focus on the former GDR), Slovenia, Bulgaria, Poland, and Russia. It also includes interviews with and written statements by the very "women in power" discussed in the first half of the book, giving voice to their common and divergent experiences as political actors within an environment of stormy economies and new foreign engagements, particularly with the European Union.

From 1998 to 2005, six elections took place in postcommunist Europe that had the surprising outcome of empowering the opposition and defeating authoritarian incumbents or their designated successors. Valerie J. Bunce and Sharon L. Wolchik compare these unexpected electoral breakthroughs. They draw three conclusions. First, the opposition was victorious because of the hard and creative work of a transnational network composed of local opposition and civil society groups, members of the international democracy assistance community and graduates of successful electoral challenges to authoritarian rule in other countries. Second, the remarkable run of these upset elections reflected the ability of this network to diffuse an ensemble of innovative electoral strategies across state boundaries. Finally, elections can serve as a powerful mechanism for democratic change. This is especially the case when civil society is strong, the transfer of political power is through constitutional means, and opposition leaders win with small mandates.

Work on the transition from communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union has emphasized the 'polity' and the 'economy'; this book analyzes the 'society', and thereby helps fill an important gap in the literature. It endeavors to summarize developments and impose some coherence on the subject by treating four basic areas: ethnic issues, deviance and health, social cleavages, and labor and elitism.

Work on the transition from communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union has emphasized the 'polity' and the 'economy'; this book analyzes the 'society', and thereby helps fill an important gap in the literature. It endeavors to summarize developments and impose some coherence on the subject by treating four basic areas: ethnic issues, deviance and health, social cleavages, and labor and elitism.

Women and Democracy offers a unique look at the political experiences of women in two regions of the world-Latin America and Eastern and Central Europe-which have moved from authoritarian to democratic regimes. At first glance, the roles and attitudes of these women appear to be similar. This book makes the case that the differences are notable. In Latin America, the women are much more politicized and well-organized in their efforts to obtain rights, recognition, and equity. In contrast, the women of former communist societies in Eastern and Central Europe, as if disenchanted by their years under an ideology that promoted equality for women, prefer instead to seek more traditional women's roles and avoid the public arena. Examining the various political attitudes and efforts of women as they learn to participate in the political process, the contributors offer important new insights into democratic consolidation in general-and point to the need for greater attention to the role of women in political processes. Contributors: Maruja Barrig, Teresa P. R. Caldeira, Maria del Carmen Feijoo, Jane S. Jaquette, Dobrinka Kostova, Philippe C.Schmitter, Renata Siemienska, Julia Szalai, Maria Elena Valenzuela, and Sharon L. Wolchik

This comprehensive book focuses on the challenges facing Ukraine as a newly emerged state after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Like all countries with no recent history of independence, Ukraine had to invent or recreate effective political institutions, reintroduce a market economy, and reorient its foreign policy. These tasks were impossible to accomplish without resolving the question of national identity. In this balanced and clear-eyed assessment, a team of U.S. and Ukrainian specialists explores the external and internal dimensions of national identity and statehood, providing a wealth of information previously unavailable to Western scholars. Arguing that the search for national identity is a multidimensional process, the authors show that it reflects the realities of the dawning twenty-first century. Paradoxically, this quest must cope with the both the weakening of state boundaries caused by globalization and the strengthening of the national model as new countries emerge from the disintegration of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. After providing the historical context of UkraineOs international debut, the book analyzes the complexities of constructing a national identity. The authors explore questions of ethnic relations and regionalism, the development of political values and attitudes, mass-elite relations, the cultural background of economic strategies, gender issues, and the threat of organized crime to emergent civil society.

From 1998 to 2005, six elections took place in postcommunist Europe that had the surprising outcome of empowering the opposition and defeating authoritarian incumbents or their designated successors. Valerie J. Bunce and Sharon L. Wolchik compare these unexpected electoral breakthroughs. They draw three conclusions. First, the opposition was victorious because of the hard and creative work of a transnational network composed of local opposition and civil society groups, members of the international democracy assistance community and graduates of successful electoral challenges to authoritarian rule in other countries. Second, the remarkable run of these upset elections reflected the ability of this network to diffuse an ensemble of innovative electoral strategies across state boundaries. Finally, elections can serve as a powerful mechanism for democratic change. This is especially the case when civil society is strong, the transfer of political power is through constitutional means, and opposition leaders win with small mandates.