Crafting Democracy

Jennifer A. Yoder is the Robert E. Diamond Professor of Government and Global Studies at Colby College.

• IntroductionChapter 1: A Framework for Understanding Region Building in Post-communist EuropeChapter 2: Poland: The Leader of the PackChapter 3: The Czech Republic: Reluctant RegionalizationChapter 4: Slovakia: Belated and Incomplete RegionalizationChapter 5: Hungary: The Exceptional Case?ConclusionAppendix A: Snapshots of Regionalization in Western EuropeAppendix B:The ECE Regions in the EUAppendix C: Voter Turnout for Regional and National ElectionsAppendix D: Election Outcomes by Region and YearBibliography

Since the collapse of the communist regimes in 1989, eastern Europe has generally been less supportive of regionalism than western Europe, although the decentralization of the state and the reallocation of power among different levels of government were considered important elements of the democratization process during the 1990s. In this five-chapter book, Yoder (Colby College) asks why this is the case. By comparing and contrasting the central European countries of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, Yoder examines the key role of political elites and political advantage in determining the scope and pace of territorial-administrative reform and regionalization. With chapters dedicated to individual countries, this well-written and well-argued volume will be of interest for students of local government, regional studies, and transition politics in eastern Europe and beyond. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, research, and professional collections.