Heiko Pleines

Utilising a wide range of empirical cases, the contributions in this edited volume highlight the different aspects of the role, development and societal background of civil society in Central and Eastern Europe. The first part of the book deals with dissent under socialism. The second part of the book looks at the role of civil society in the Western Balkans in the context of the break-up of the former Yugoslavia and the related ethnic conflicts. The third part goes on to examine the role of civil society in the post-Soviet region, which is marked by authoritarian tendencies. The fourth part returns to Central Eastern Europe with an analysis of the impact of EU accession on the role of civil society and considers the underlying aspects of a 'common European memory'. The final section of the book looks at two cases - one from Central Eastern Europe, one from the CIS region -- of political participation and lobbying by civil society organisations. This book presents a selection of the papers diskussed at the Changing Europe Summer School on 'Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe' held at the National University of 'Kyiv-Mohyla Academy' (NAUKMA), Ukraine, in July 2009.

A re-conceptualisation of the widely-held concept of the 'resource curse', which contends that resource booms inevitably lead to numerous political, social and economic problems. This book counters that these problems are by no means inevitable, but are rather the direct result of specific policy choices made by actors within particular regimes.

Heiko Pleines untersucht im Rahmen einer Analyse der Politikfelder Agrarpolitik, Kohlerestrukturierung und Privatisierung den Einfluss von Wirtschaftslobbies auf die Politik vergleichend für Polen, Russland und die Ukraine. Der Schwerpunkt der Analyse liegt dabei auf Reformblockaden, d.h. es wird untersucht, unter welchen Bedingungen die Einflussnahme nichtstaatlicher Akteure eine politische Entscheidungsfindung verhindert. Ein besseres Verständnis der Ursachen und Formen von Reformblockaden stellt einen wesentlichen Beitrag zur Erklärung politischer Entscheidungsprozesse dar.