Poor but sovereign

Economic insecurity, nostalgia, and geopolitical alignment in Slovakia

Bibliographic Data

ID24230548
AuthorsKatarína Schachtschneider (0009-0003-5537-1511, Comenius University), Martino Comelli (0000-0002-9640-0310, Slovak Academy of Sciences)
Year2026
Pages1-18
Publication date2026-10-07
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Contemporary European Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1478-2790 • E-ISSN: 1478-2804
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14782804.2026.2740486
OpenAlexW7221033557
LanguageEN
References cited53

Why does geopolitical ambivalence persist in a country that has substantially benefited from European integration? Using a 2024 survey in Slovakia and structural equation modelling, this article tests whether two evaluations of the post-1989 settlement – nostalgia for state socialism and distrust in EU institutions – mediate the relationship between self-reported household economic security and two outcomes: pro-Russian geopolitical alignment and openness to trade with authoritarian regimes. Respondents who report greater financial difficulty lean modestly towards Russia and are less willing to limit Slovak trade to democratic countries. Once the mediators enter the model, the direct association of financial difficulty with either outcome falls to near zero. The indirect associations through EU distrust and socialist nostalgia survive adjustment for age, education, gender, and settlement size; neither pathway is stronger than the other. These findings suggest that economic insecurity acquires geopolitical significance through narratives that frame hardship as evidence of failed transition, external constraint, and lost sovereignty.

economic insecurity · geopolitical alignment · Nostalgia · post-communist transition · Slovakia · Sovereignty · Central European and Russian historical studies · Eastern European Communism and Reforms · European Politics and Security

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