Elites and masses in the political process in Ukraine since 1991
Abstract This article analyses the political process in the present day Ukraine with a focus on the ruling elites and masses and attempts to explain what keeps the country from successful transition. It is argued that the mere existence of the formal attributes of democracy such as elections and party system are not enough. The nature of the social relation, inherited by Ukraine from socialist rule and the deeply ingrained behaviour and value system of both masses and elites is one of the major factors hindering democratisation. To substantiate this claim, the article examines the public stances, attitudes, composition, and character of the ruling elite, and the institutions through which it exerts its political influence. The final part is devoted to an exploration of the social preconditions for change in light of the recent political events connected with the rise of the opposition.
Transition impossible? Ukraine between violence and power
Abstract This article discusses authority culture in Ukraine. ‘Russian power’, i.e. a particular configuration of power relationship that has been prevailing in the Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet empires, is used as a point of reference. Two features of Russian power explain its closeness to violence: mostly negative associations (such as force, money and corruption) and a high power distance. It is argued that a potential movement from violence to power understood as human ability to act in concert exists in Ukraine. Members of Ukraine’s sub-elites have a chance to become a driving force of this process. Under certain conditions they could take a lead in transitioning to less violent models of power in politics and elsewhere. The data were drawn from three mass surveys conducted in Russia (N = 2939 and N = 11,096) and in Ukraine (N = 2040) from July 2016 to January 2017.
The Politics of Constitutional Change in Industrial Nations: Redesigning the State
During the last two decades serious attempts to alter basic constitutional structures have taken place in many industrial nations, even in those often thought to have highly stable political institutions. In some cases, such as Belgium and Spain, far-reaching constitutional changes have been put in place; in others advocates of reform have achieved only partial victories or have been entirely frustrated. In all cases, controversy over the constitution has been intense, involving basic conceptions of legitimacy, representation, sovereignty and the purposes of the state. Constitutional politics often reveals much about political life of modern societies that is obscured in day-to-day events. The results of constitutional changes can significantly affect the distribution of power, the ability to manage conflict and the outcomes of policy debates. This book explores the dynamics of constitutional politics through case studies of Spain, Belgium, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, West Germany and Eastern Europe, including Poland, prepared by leading students of these countries. Other chapters draw out the more general patterns of constitutional politics, highlighting the pressures which lead to change, and the formidable obstacles confronting them.