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Item Cultural policies of populist governments in central and Eastern Europe : a comparative review(2025-04-04) Mikola, Bálint; Zagórski, Piotr; Schafer, Dean; Cirhan, Tomas; Suchanek, Jonas; Kevicky, Dominik; Democracy InstituteThe recent rise of populist and illiberal actors in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the concomitant democratic backsliding has generated notable scholarly interest; however, the implications of populism for cultural policy remain understudied. Since culture defines popular tastes and shapes interpretations of national identity and history, we adopt a comparative perspective to evaluate what impact these actors had on cultural policies between 2010 and 2023, using a combination of qualitative analysis of discursive and legislative changes, and quantitative text analysis. The findings indicate that the instrumentalization of cultural policies has been a function of ideology: while the ‘thick ideological’, radical right populist governing parties of Hungary and Poland abused culture as a vehicle for transmitting their nationalist narratives, their ‘thin populist’, technocratic Czech and Slovak counterparts took a more pragmatic approach to cultural policy. These findings highlight the impact of populist ideology with thick, cultural features on cultural policy.Item The Reciprocity Dimension of Solidarity : Insights from Three European Countries(2019-06-15) Eschweiler, Jennifer; Svensson, Sara; Mocca, Elisabetta; Cartwright, Andrew; Villadsen Nielsen, Louise; Department of Public PolicyThe article argues that closer attention to how solidarity is understood and expressed in different European contexts can shed light on the conditions for establishing a social and solidarity economy. Drawing on data collected within the H2020 SOLIDUS project, which explores current expressions of European solidarity, the comparative analysis covers three social economy initiatives, each representing a country with different political and economic context. The analysis focuses on solidarity as reciprocity and, in particular, how it is affected by such factors as actor motivations, internal participatory functioning, resource mix and political legitimacy. While further empirical work is needed, the findings suggest that solidarity as reciprocity produced by social and solidarity economy organisations thrives where political institutions are both supportive and trusted, where public funding is accessible, and where partnerships with relatively autonomous social and solidarity economy organisations are genuinely collaborative.Item Unexpected counter-movements to nationalism : The hidden potential of local food communities(2019-12) Svensson, Sara; Balogh, Péter; Cartwright, Andrew; Department of Public Policy; Democracy InstituteThis article identifies a hitherto understudied element of local food communities, namely their potential as counter-movements to nationalist discourses, practices and policies. This potential should be particularly valuable in Eastern Europe, where European integration has been severely contested over the past years by political elites. We support our argument by a closer qualitative inquiry into two cases; one with urban-rural dimensions in the metropolitan area of Budapest and one in a more sparsely populated cross-border region at the Slovak-Hungarian border. Based on 18 interviews with coordinators, producers and consumers, numerous visits to both sites, and studying the organisations' documents we conclude that the growth of local food communities contributes to strengthened solidarity in local communities. Although nationalist discourses on buying domestic are rarely contested explicitly, the lack of any reference to national movements and discourses testifies to the primary importance of the local.Item Ukraine's Patronal Democracy and the Russian Invasion : The Russia-Ukraine War, Volume One(Central European University Press, 2023) Madlovics, Bálint; Magyar, Balint; Democracy InstituteThe Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 jeopardizes the country's independence and its chances for Western-style development. However, the heroic attitude of the Ukrainian people, combined with a solidifying national identity, makes the domestic foundations for a western turn stronger than ever. After the invasion, building strong foundations of liberal democracy will be a top priority. In addition to alleviating immediate problems, the country must also address its post-communist legacy and address the constraints of patronalism. The authors of this edited volume, leading Ukrainian scholars supplemented by colleagues from Hungary, examine the chances of an anti-patronal transformation after the war. The book provides an overview of the development of Ukraine's political-economic system: color revolutions in 2004 and 2014 brought democratic transformation, but no change in the patronage system The result was patronal regime cycles instead of the emergence of a Western-type liberal democracy in the country. Building on the conceptual framework of the editors' The Anatomy of Post-Communist Regimes (CEU Press, 2020), the 12 chapters examine the impact of the war on patronal democracy, the relational economy, clientelist society, and the international environment in which Ukraine operates.Item Russia's Imperial Endeavor and Its Geopolitical Consequences : The Russia-Ukraine War, Volume Two(CEU Press, 2023) Madlovics, Bálint; Magyar, Balint; Democracy InstituteAside from the near-complete devastation of a sovereign state and reversal of the global balance of power, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 is leading to a radical transformation in the Eastern European and Eurasian regions – including Russia itself. The 13 chapters in this volume examine the main geopolitical consequences of the resurgent imperialist aspirations of the Russian Federation. They examine the ideological tools of history falsification as an integral part of hybrid warfare. Turning to the economy, the book discusses how the war and economic sanctions imposed on Russia are redrawing the geopolitical map and how economic relations would change following a regime transformation. The book discusses the reactions of members of the international community to the invasion, whether threatened or neutral parties or allies. The collection therefore offers a comprehensive picture of the main consequences of the resurgent imperialist aspirations of the Russian Federation. Equipped with the conceptual tools of the analysis with a focus on the patronal features of the political-economic system, the book considers the aftermath of the war. This collection complements the book entitled Ukraine's Patronal Democracy and the Russian Invasion.Item From Petty Corruption to Criminal State : A Critique of the Corruption Perceptions Index as Applied to the Post-Communist Region(2019) Madlovics, Bálint; Magyar, BálintOffering a decent database easily applicable to cross-country comparison, Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has been widely used as a variable for showing the level of corruption. However, surveys of its sources are based on presumptions which mainly apply to bottom-up forms of corruption, namely free market corruption and bottom-up state capture, and therefore it is insufficient for assessing the state of a country plagued by top-down types of the former. We provide an analytical framework that distinguishes four levels of corruption and draws on the experience of the post-communist region. Using this framework to analyze the CPI’s survey questions, we explain why the index provides a blurred picture of the region. ‘Big data’ evidence for top-down corruption in Hungary is also presented, signifying the need for a more refined index.Item From “actually existing socialism” to actually existing post-socialism : János Kornai and the importance of language reform in political economy(2023-11-03) Madlovics, Bálint; Magyar, BálintThis paper discusses the contributions of János Kornai to the “language reform” of socialism and post-socialism, meaning the creation of new conceptual frameworks to replace the mainstream interpretation of the system with a more realistic, critical description. We show that, in the three waves of language reform under the Kádár regime – economics, sociology, and law – Kornai was a trailblazer by introducing concepts like “soft budget constraint,” “plan bargaining,” and “shortage,” which became key concepts for reform economists and dissident intellectuals in Eastern Europe. We discuss Kornai’s work on post-socialism as well, particularly his paper “The System Paradigm Revisited,” and point out its merits and shortcomings in the description of the regimes of the region. Presenting our offer for a new language reform, based on Kornai, we underline the importance of proper words for understanding “actually existing post-socialism,” and the task of political economists to revise the current mainstream and analyse the phenomena of post-communist “relational economies.”Item The Fatal Combination : How Democracy Died in Russia and How It May Survive in Ukraine(2024) Madlovics, Bálint; Magyar, Bálint; Democracy InstituteThis article presents a comparative examination of de- and re-democratization processes in Russia and Ukraine, utilizing the concept of patronalism to delineate distinct regime types: patronal democracy and patronal autocracy, in contrast to Western-style liberal democracy. The analysis emphasizes the critical factors leading to the decline of democracy, specifically the monopolization of political power and the patronalization of social networks — the so-called “fatal combination.” In Russia, these factors converged under Vladimir Putin’s leadership, resulting in the death of democracy even before the war began. In contrast, while Ukraine has faced recurring autocratic attempts, the fatal combination has not fully materialized, though it has led to cyclical regime dynamics. The article concludes by examining the structural consequences of the war: “the good news” (potential anti-patronal transformation in Ukraine), “the bad news” (the rise of dictatorship in Russia and the threat of autocracy under Volodymyr Zelensky), and “the hope” (the elements indicating Ukraine’s long-term transition from patronal to liberal democracy).Item Pamięć o tumulcie toruńskim (1724) w polskiej dziewiętnastowiecznej pieśni ludowej : Wizja świata – propaganda – pobożność i wartości(2020) Kożuchowski, ŁukaszThe subject of the article is an analysis of a nineteenth-century folk song origi-nating from Lesser Poland and the region of Kielce, which describes the events of the Tumult of Toruń (1724). The author used the historical method (factual analy-sis), anthropological method (theories of memory and orality) and discourse analysis (a written text as a reflection of mentality) to focus on three main issues. The first one is a polemic with the previous opinions of researchers, who argued that the folk song faithfully represents the events of the riots in Toruń (Thorn). In fact, it seems to be more of a propaganda text. It is impossible to determine precisely the place and time it was created, however, it seems that its author was a clergyman who wanted to convey his vision of the Tumult to the lower social strata. The song presents the community of Toruń as divided into two hostile camps, namely aggressive Protestants and pious Catholics. The article embedded the images of both sides in broader contexts of the German-Protestant stereotype and religious polemics in the Polish-Lithuanian Com-monwealth. The last part of the text is an attempt to answer the question why this particular song was internalized by the common people. The interest in the Tumult of Toruń could result from its sensational character, the fact that it was very well fitted to folk culture, and the possibility to derive satisfaction from the course of this event. The article ends with the presentation of folk songs as an interesting research mate-rial for historians, cultural anthropologists and scholars conducting interdisciplinary memory studies.Item Nowa ludowa historia : Charakterystyka i społeczno-polityczne korzenie współczesnych narracji o historii chłopów polskich(2021) Gospodarczyk, Marta; Kożuchowski, ŁukaszThe article presents the characteristics of contemporary scholarship devoted to Polish people’s history as well as the context of their creation. The authors focus on two prominent texts: Ludowa historia Polski [The People’s History of Poland] by Adam Leszczyński and Bękarty pańszczyzny [Bastards of Serfdom] by Michał Rauszer. Both books employ a new approach to peasant history by emphasizing the agency of the subaltern and departing from ‘the history of nobility’. The emergence of new publications on Polish people’s history is not only an expression of the authors’ personal motivations but also a consequence of contemporary socio-political climate. The public interest in ‘the people’ is partially an outcome of the 2015 elections, which caused ‘the people’ to emerge as a political subject, and partially a manifestation of the left distancing itself from the historical politics of the current Polish government.Item Śmierć dziecka i jej społeczno-kulturowe przeżywanie w polskich dziewiętnastowiecznych pieśniach ludowych(2020) Kożuchowski, Łukasz”The Pelplin Hymn Book” (Collection of Catholic Devout Songs for Church and Home Use) is one of the most popular Polish religious hymn books in history. The book consists mostly of folk songs that had been collected by father Stephen Keller. It contains 12 songs dedicated to the death of a small child, and it gives rare testimony to the way in which Polish folk culture embraced the death of very young people. This article analyzes the lyrics in a historical and anthropological context, including the relationship between the living and the dead, the social dimension of singing, as well as the image of God and the afterlife. The paper draws a comparison between social attitudes towards the death of adults and children, and it discusses the sources of ideological inspiration for hymn writers. The paper challenges some of the opinions presented in older literature on the subject, and it highlights the theological reflections in hymns that are consistent with the Catholic doctrine.Item W odpowiedzi Adamowi Leszczyńskiemu (W sprawie artykułu Nowa ludowa historia: charakterystyka i społeczno-polityczne korzenie współczesnych narracji o historii chłopów polskich)(2021) Gospodarczyk, Marta; Kożuchowski, ŁukaszItem Morus Tamás Utópiájának magyar fordításai(2024-06-20) Cziganyik, ZsoltThe first Hungarian translation of omas More’s Utopia by Ferenc Kelen was published rather belatedly in 1910, followed by an abridged translation in 1941, by László Geréb. Two years later a new, precise but modern translation was prepared by Tibor Kardos. A shorter selection of More’s original was also published in the fifties in András Bodor’s translation. Until the 1963 edition of Kardos’s translation, Utopia was presented as an important text in social philosophy, with detailed introductions, afterwords, and notes to the text. Recent editions usually place the emphasis on the literary qualities of the text. All the translations are based on the Latin version, usually the 1518 Frobenius (Basel) edition or Michels and Ziegler’s 1895 critical edition. The presence of the paratexts varies in the different translations: More’s letter to Giles is usually translated, yet most of the other parerga are ignored. Recent editions are usually illustrated, with the illustrations often (but not always) based on the 1518 Frobenius edition. The absence of a Hungarian translation in the first four centuries after the first publication of More’s Utopia is counterweighted by not fewer than eleven editions in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.Item Unconvincing statistical and functional inferences : Reply to Catmur(2014-10-31) Michael, John; Sandberg, Kristian; Skewes, Joshua; Wolf, Thomas; Blicher, Jakob; Overgaard, Morten; Frith, Chris; Social Mind CenterItem Distinguishing Oneself From Others : Spontaneous Perspective-Taking in First-Episode Schizophrenia and its relation to Mentalizing and Psychotic Symptoms(2020-01-01) Simonsen, Arndis; Mahnkeke, Mia Ilsø; Fusaroli, Riccardo; Wolf, Thomas; Roepstorff, Andreas; Michael, John; Frith, Chris D.; Bliksted, Vibeke; Social Mind CenterCharacteristic symptoms of schizophrenia, such as thought broadcasting, verbal hallucinations, and delusions of being controlled, suggest a failure in distinguishing between oneself and others. In addition, patients frequently experience mentalizing deficits, which could be related to such a failure. Here we investigated the tendency to distinguish self and other with a visual perspective-taking task that measures to what extent individuals spontaneously take another's perspective when having to process their own (altercentric intrusion) or vice versa (egocentric intrusion). This was done in 22 patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 23 matched healthy controls. We assessed whether patients displayed altered altercentric or egocentric intrusion and whether such alterations are related to mentalizing deficits- A s measured with the Animated Triangles Task (ATT) and The Awareness of Social Inference Task (TASIT)- A nd/or specific psychotic symptoms, suggestive of problems with self-other distinction. The results showed that patients display similar egocentric intrusion and increased altercentric intrusion compared to controls. Degree of altercentric intrusion was associated with severity of delusions and hallucinations that have been tied to problems with self-other distinction but not with unrelated delusions and hallucinations or negative symptom severity. Higher altercentric intrusion was also associated with better TASIT performance in both patients and controls; suggesting that it may also be beneficial. In conclusion, patients display difficulties inhibiting representations of the other when having to process self-relevant information. A failure to control or distinguish the 2 representations could give rise to the experience that others have access to and control of your thoughts and actions.Item Understanding joint action : Current theoretical and empirical approaches(2021-04) van der Wel, Robrecht P.R.D.; Becchio, Cristina; Curioni, Arianna; Wolf, Thomas; Social Mind CenterJoint actions are omnipresent, ranging from a handshake between two people to the coordination of groups of people playing in an orchestra. We are highly skilled at coordinating our actions with those of others to reach common goals and rely on this ability throughout our daily lives. What are the social, cognitive and neural processes underlying this ability? How do others around us influence our task representations? How does joint action influence interpersonal interactions? How do language and gesture support joint action? What differentiates joint action from individual action? This article forms an introductory editorial to the field of joint action. It accompanies contributions to the special issue entitled “Current Issues in Joint Action Research”. The issue brings together conceptual and empirical approaches on different topics, ranging from lower-level issues such as the link between perception and joint action, to higher-level issues such as language as a form of joint action.Item Developing normative criteria for meaningful citizen participation and deliberation in environmental policy(2023-06-11) Ryan, Mark; Giesbers, Else; Heffernan, Rose; Stock, Anke; Droy, Solene; Blanchet, Thomas; Stec, Stephen; Abat, Antoni; Gurzawska, Agata; Warso, Zuzanna; Democracy InstituteThe European Green Deal (EGD) represents the most ambitious environmental policy framework in European history, aimed at improving the health and well-being of citizens and future generations through climate action and becoming the first climate-neutral region in the world by 2050. The EC has initiated the European Democracy Action Plan and the European Climate Pact to include the participation of citizens in a meaningful way to help achieve these goals (i.e. not simply a tokenistic gesture or box-ticking exercise). While these efforts to ensure greater citizen participation and deliberation in environmental policy are good first steps, there is still a lack of clarity about what meaningful citizen engagement should look like. This paper will propose that for such efforts to be successful, we need to assess different perspectives in the debate and provide recommendations based on this. This paper provides a systematic review of various approaches within the academic literature on citizen participation and deliberation in environmental policy (ecocentrism, biocentrism, ecomodernism, ecofeminism, environmental pragmatism, environmental citizenship, environmental rights, and environmental justice). Following this, we provide a list of 16 criteria (in five thematic sections) for policymakers, civil society organisations (CSOs), and society, to ensure meaningful citizen participation and deliberation.Item A methodology to assess the water energy food ecosystems nexus in transboundary river basins(2016) De Strasser, Lucia; Lipponen, Annukka; Howells, Mark; Stec, Stephen; Bréthaut, Christian; Democracy InstituteThe "nexus" is a potentially very appropriate approach to enhance resource efficiency and good governance in transboundary basins. Until now, however, evidence has been confined to isolated case studies and the nexus approach remains largely undefined. The methodology presented in this paper, developed for preparing a series of nexus assessments of selected river basins under the Water Convention of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), is a timely contribution to this ongoing debate. The nexus assessment of a transboundary basin has the objective of identifying trade-offs and impacts across sectors and countries and to propose possible policy measures and technical actions at national and transboundary levels to reduce intersectoral tensions. This is done jointly with policy makers and local experts. Compared to an Integrated Water Resource Management approach, the water energy food ecosystems nexus approach concurrently considers multiple sectors and their evolution. This offers the opportunity to better involve key economic sectors-energy and agriculture in particular-in the dialogue over transboundary water resource uses, protection and management.Item When Do Authoritarian Regimes Use Digital Technologies for Covert Repression? : A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Politico-Economic Conditions(2024) Daminov, Ildar; Central European UniversityAlthough autocracies increasingly learn how to integrate digital technologies into their covert repression toolbox, it remains unclear under which conditions they succeed in doing so. While some technologically developed autocracies seldom use covert repression, other technologically underdeveloped autocracies apply significantly more covert repression. This begs the question: what are the necessary and sufficient conditions involving strong digital uptake leading to high levels of covert repression? The paper uses Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to 83 non-democratic regimes and leverages the 2021 digital repression dataset to answer this question. The findings show that digital uptake interacts with a pre-existing history of overt repression. In-depth case illustrations of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan elucidate this argument. The findings also show two other “non-digital” pathways to high levels of covert repression, providing foundations for future evidence-based case selection investigating covert repression patterns in autocracies.Item Relationship between the type of media consumption and political trust in the European Union : Evidence from the 94th Eurobarometer 2020/2021 Survey(2024-09) Daminov, Ildar; Central European UniversityThis article analyzes the relationship between the consumption of different types of media and political trust, while also additionally contributing to discussions in several sub-branches of agenda-setting theories. To test the hypotheses, this article runs several linear regression models at the European Union, regional, and national levels. The European Union–level analysis is based on the 94th Eurobarometer survey data of 2020/2021. It is then further complemented with some country-level comparisons. The regression models account for various socio-economic and socio-political confounding factors. The results of the analysis demonstrate that there is a significant positive relationship between press consumption and political trust. As for social media, their negative effect is visible and consistent only when they are designated as the respondent’s main source of information. Other media types do not demonstrate a visible and statistically significant effect. This article’s findings, also through the country-level comparisons, provide new research avenues not only for quantitative research as well as for comparative case studies of individual European Union Member States.