Archive 3/2010

Abstract

In contrast to much of the rest of Central and Eastern Europe during the first two post-communist decades, Czech party politics was characterized by low levels of volatility. Placing the Czech Republic into broader international context, this article suggests that the stability of the Czech party system derives from a combination of favorable structural conditions and more contingent differences in party strategy and organization. While the structural factors create a stronger likelihood for stability in the Czech Republic than in many of its neighbors, the strong role of more contingent institutional factors means that we cannot assume that the stability will continue, particularly if one of the major parties should suffer a major setback. The Czech example thus broadens our understanding of the interplay between structures and institutions in promoting stability.

Key words

parties, elections, volatility, stability, Czech Republic

Abstract

This paper traces the process of Europeanization not including adaptational pressure. It emphasizis the hard form of pressure that implies coercion. There are many processes of producing domestic change, and it appears that adaptational pressure is not the necessary condition for this process. This article does not support the interchangeability of soft mechanisms of Europeanization with adaptational pressure, because it undermines the whole concept of Europeanization caused by its inconsistency. The aim of this article is to prove that there are terminological ambiguities leading to a certain vagueness regarding the concept of Europeanization. The basic necessity is to abandon the rigidity of the existing three step approach to Europeanization and to accept other possible scenarios, proposing a more exact anchoring of adaptational pressure.

Key words

adaptational pressure, domestic change, europeanization, coercion

Abstract

The general aim of this paper is to contribute to a deeper understanding of Japanese media and communication in contemporary society. It also hopes to widen the integrated and internationalized (de-westernized) framework for understanding the dynamism and complexity of media and politics in the context of a non-western society. The starting point of this paper is a summary of the theoretical knowledge about political communication and the social role of media institutions in a society. The main part of this paper is focused on the phenomenon of Japanese mass-media journalism: I try to illuminate the specific role of Japanese media when dealing with political/power circles. While touching on state-press relations I offer an organizational analysis of the reporter’s club system (kisha kurabu) in contemporary Japan.

Key words

Japanese media, political communication, media theory, political journalism, press-state relations, reporter’s club system, kisha kurabu

Abstract

This article deals with the democratic transition in Mongolia. In the first part the author analyses the character of the Mongolian communist regime, following the theory of nondemocratic regimes developed by Juan J. Linz and Alfred Stepan. The paper argues that the Mongolian communist regime can be classified as early post-totalitarian. The second part of the article focuses on the transition process. We apply theoretical concepts developed by Dankwart A. Rustow and Adam Przeworski, and typologies of transition by Samuel P. Huntington, Terry Lynn Karl and Phillippe Schmitter. The author’s conclusion is that the political change in Mongolia is possible to designate as a reform, using Karl-Schmitter’s typology, which the most advantage is the ability to evaluate the role of mass mobilization during the transition process.

Key words

Mongolia, East Asia, non-democratic regimes, communist regimes, early post-totalitarianism, transition, democratization, mass mobilization

Abstract

Implementing the budget of the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) has recently become quite a serious problem in the Czech Republic. Thus this study focuses on parliamentary control of budget implemetation, and control of SAI budget implementation especially. First, it analyses the function of parliamentary control generally as it has already been elaborated in the existing theoretical literature and comparative studies. Then it focuses on parliamentary control of the SAI’s budget implementation in chosen EU member states. It compares the legislation (especially the Constitution and Acts on SAI) of individual countries and comes to the conclusion that in spite of significant differences in names, position, competencies and duties of the SAI in individual states, most SAIs have a relation of close responsibility to Parliament. The study also examines Czech legislation about the SAI and compares it with the Lima declaration and praxis in other EU member states. On the basis of this analysis, it strives to give some recommendations to improve Czech legislation and parliamentary control of SAI budget implementation.

Key words

Supreme Audit Institution, parliamentary control, budget implementation, Lima declaration

Abstract

Ladislav Cabada, Vít Hloušek. 2010. Eurovolby 2009: Prostor pro evropeizaci politických stran ve středovýchodní Evropě? Plzeň: Vydavatelství a nakladatelství Aleš Čeněk, 270 pages.

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Yelena Kalyuzhnová. 2008. Economics of The Caspian Oil and Gas Wealth, Companies, Governments, Policies, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 257 pages.

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Jan Stejskal a Jaroslav Kovárník. 2009. Regionální politika a její nástroje, Praha: Portál, 216 pages.

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