The Social Democratic Parties in the Visegrád Countries


Book Description

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the social democratic parties in the four member states of the so-called “Visegrád Group”- Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. The timeline spans the last two decades, which saw the parties in question come to power, govern and collapse. The case studies of all four countries are structured in the same way, offering: explanation of the historical background (including electoral results), analyses of the context, structures, membership and voters; evaluation of the programmes and hypotheses for potential future trajectories. Given the European relevance of the topic, the fifth chapter provides a comparative analysis, with a handful of explanations as to why Visegrád Group countries have proved to be tough partners in European integration processes.




Regional and International Relations of Central Europe


Book Description

Focused on the role of Central Europe in international politics at the turn of the 20th century, the authors take stock of the knowledge about the discipline of IR, enhance the visibility of scholars from Central Europe, and fill the void which has emerged after several researches on Central Europe were completed in the 1990s.




The Visegrad countries policies towards LGBTQ+ people


Book Description

Essay from the year 2021 in the subject Cultural Studies - GLBT / LGBTIQ, grade: 1,7, National University of Public Service (LUDOVIKA, Budapest, Hungary), language: English, abstract: This essay examines the Visegrad countries policies towards LGBTQ+ people. The Visegrad countries are Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia, together they found the Visegrad group alliance (V4) in 1991. Those eastern and central European countries joined their forces in order to push forward their aspirations for an EU accession. The collaboration turned out to be successful as all four Visegrad group countries joined the European Union, however only Slovakia joined the eurozone. In general, the countries realized that a cooperation is useful to represent their common interests because they are connected by “their traditional, historically shaped system of mutual contacts, cultural and spiritual heritage and common roots of religious traditions”. The Visegrad group is referred to as "two plus two” due to their different approaches towards the European Union and its integration policies. Whereas, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are commonly Europe-friendly, Hungary and Poland tend to be more sceptic when it comes to vertical integration.




Discourse, Hegemony, and Populism in the Visegrád Four


Book Description

This is the first book-length account of populism in the Visegrád Four (V4) countries — Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia — for the first 30 years of multi-party competition since the transformative events of 1989–91 in Central and Eastern Europe. Advancing a post-foundational approach to populism based on a semi-formal reading of Ernesto Laclau's theory, the book undertakes a detailed examination of how the 'people' has been constructed in populist discourses in the party systems of the four countries since 1989. Drawing on a wealth of source material, the book offers both a wide-ranging and in-depth overview and classification of populism in the V4 in terms of discursive (e.g. centrist, conservative, left-wing, liberal, nationalist, social) and hegemonic type (e.g. authoritarian hegemonic, generational counter-hegemonic) alike. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of populism, party politics, and Central and Eastern Europe.




The Politics of Regional Cooperation and the Impact on the European Union


Book Description

This unique book explores what subregions are in a European context and what roles they fulfil in relation to the European integration process, exploring how subregional cooperation and integration in Europe largely take place in the shadow of the European integration process.




The Nordic, Baltic and Visegrád Small Powers in Europe


Book Description

This volume addresses and seeks to answer a number of questions on the current issues facing small states/powers in Europe. How can small European states survive and prosper within a multipolar world of great powers? What part should small states take in European integration? Are EU fiscal and monetary policies allowing for Keynesian economic stimulus when needed and are euro area convergence criteria viable as the world recovers from the COVID-19 crisis? Are small state alliances within the EU useful to counterbalance the influence of the larger EU member states? How far should EU and NATO expansion go? Should it include countries such as Ukraine? Can the EU rely on US leadership of NATO for its security? How should small states relate to great powers seeking to influence Europe, most notably the US, the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation? Do smaller states need to choose a single ally among the major powers? Using an interdisciplinary approach, the author discusses issues of economic policy, international relations and politics, economic and political integration, as well as the effects of global and regional institutions, and priorities in bilateral development cooperation, demonstrating how policies are shaped by the interaction between small states (small powers) and large states (great powers).




Antipolitics


Book Description




The Visegrad Group and Democracy Promotion


Book Description

This book explores the substance and strategies of democracy promotion conducted by the Visegrad Group states (V4) – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. As these states are currently deemed to face democratic backsliding over thirty years after their own democratic transformations, the book discusses how democracy promotion is related to the four countries’ understanding of liberalism and democracy and to their political cultures. It also addresses the question of what motivates the V4 states to engage in the politically sensitive activities of democracy assistance and how they intend to share their own experience and know-how of the democratic transformation process. The book concludes by discussing the possible future developments in the respective states’ democracy promotion agendas. Examining the strategies, substance, and the domestic discourse related to the Visegrad states’ democracy promotion policies, the book presents a much-needed reflection on a niche subject in the foreign policy agendas of these post-communist states for academics and practitioners alike.







Curriculum changes in the Visegrad Four: three decades after the fall of communism


Book Description

School systems in the Visegrad Four countries have gone through significant change since the political upheavals of 1989. The book describes developments in curriculum and curriculum policy over the last three decades and considers the possible impact and perspectives of current changes. It explores the nature of curriculum reform, addresses the challenge of its implementation and highlights the reform as a means by which school quality can be improved and as a 'provider' of aims and contents of school education. Hopefully, the book will contribute to the discussion of options for further curriculum development and curriculum policy in the Visegrad Four and other countries with a similar educational background.