Communism, post-communism and democracy

The abandonment of the communist system raises questions concerning identity and the policy consequences of the change to a system that stands in many respects as the polar opposite of the values and principles of the communist form of rule. There are differences across countries in the extent to which they have adapted their policies, particularly concerning distribution of such indicative products as telephones and automobiles, and in their levels of militarization and energy consumption. However, it is clear that in at least some of these areas the impact has been rapid and dramatic. World rankings of different former communist countries have shifted markedly, although the differentials have not changed consistently. Most significantly, there has been a shift from public–communal to essentially private priorities, accompanying increasing convergence with the policy profiles of the well-established liberal democracies

Abandonment (legal · Communism · Communist state · Convergence (economics · Democracy · Development economics · Distribution (mathematics · Economic growth · Economic system · Economics · Militarization · Perspective (graphical · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Eastern European Communism and Reforms · European Union Policy and Governance · Law · Social Policy and Reform Studies

• Legitimacy and Institutional Change

  Open Access•Bruce Gilley•Comparative Political Studies•2008

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