Why No Backsliding? The European Union’s Impact on Democracy and Governance Before and After Accession

Bibliographic Data

ID7728009
AuthorsPhilip Levitz (Yale University, New Haven, CT), Grigore Pop-Eleches (0000-0003-3570-6233, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ,)
Year2010
Volume43
Issue4
Pages457-485
Publication date2010-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueComparative Political Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0010-4140 • E-ISSN: 1552-3829
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0010414009355266
OpenAlexW2126508092
LanguageEN
Citations received65
References cited27

This article documents and explains the puzzling lack of backsliding in political reforms among the new postcommunist EU members, even though these countries are no longer subject to the powerful incentives of the EU membership promise. Using a combination of cross-national statistics, expert interviews, and public opinion data, the authors show that the new EU members have experienced at most a slowdown in reforms rather than a genuine backlash. The authors attribute this finding to the fact that the loss of leverage after the countries joined the European Union was balanced by a combination of alternative leverage and linkage mechanisms, including greater dependence on EU aid and trade and greater exposure to the West for both elites and ordinary citizens. For the latter, expanded work and travel opportunities seem to be associated with higher expectations of government performance and greater political involvement, which may be crucial for future governance reform in the region

Accession · Backlash · Corporate governance · Democracy · Economics · European union · Incentive · International economics · Leverage (statistics · Market economy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public opinion · European Union Policy and Governance · Finance · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Social Policy and Reform Studies

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