Dr' Andrea Gawrich, University of Kiel

1
Dr. Andrea Gawrich, University of Kiel

• University of Tartu
• Course
• Central and Eastern European political systems
  in comparison
• 1st to 12th of March 2004

2
1. Program

• How to compare? What to compare? Some elements of
  comparative government
• Problems of Democratic Transition and
  Consolidation/ Way of transition/levels of
  transition Pathways of system transformation in
  Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Russia and
  Belarus
• Model of Success? - The Parliamentary System of
  Hungary
• Excursus The Parliamentary System of Germany
• The Parliamentary System of Czech Republic
• How much institutional stability? The
  Semi-Presidential system of Poland
• Risks for democracy? - The Presidential System of
  Russia
• Europes last dictatorship Belarus
• Comparison of parliaments The weak factor? -
  Comparison of party systems
• Political culture and civil society in
  comparisonFinal debate on system stability and
  democracy

3

• 2. Basic categories of
• Comparative government
• from comparative government tocomparative
  politics
• four aims of comparison1. Collect information,
  describe differences and similarities2. To build
  classifications or typologies 3. To create
  hypotheses4. To build models and prognoses
• two strategies of comparison
• b) polity, politics, policy
• a) central state, regional and local levels

4
three dimensions of cg
5
3. Democracy or not?to start with.......Aristotle

• Classification of government

6
Types of political systems after Merkel
7
What is democracy?

• Discuss with your neighbour how do you
  understand democracy? Find 6 key aspects

8
Elements of democracy, authoritarian and
totalitarian systems by Wolfgang Merkel
9
Polyarchie by Robert A. Dahl

• Criteria
• Election of office-positions
• election law is inclusive
• freedom of opinion
• freedom of information
• organizational freedem (interest, parties)
• inclusive citizenship

10
...one step furtherprinciples of democracy by
Klaus Dicke

• rule of law
• human rights
• democracy
• basics of a social state
• integration in international law

11
Regime-types by Karl-Rudolf Korte
12
one more attribute by Winfried Steffani