Formal Institutions and Informal Politics in Central and Eastern Europe

The book gives an introduction to the relationship be - tween formal institutions and informal politics in Central and Eastern Europe between 1989 and 2005. The book wants to illucidate “what really happened” during and after the period of transformation within and beyond the formally institutionalised structures. How do informal practices influence the distribution of political power and the decision-making process? Which elements are more temporary, which are more permanent features of political life in these systems? From the contents: Gerd Meyer, Formal and informal politics: Questions, concepts and subjects András Bozoki & Eszter Simon, Formal institutions and informal politics in Hungary Aleksandra Wyrozumska & Gerd Meyer, Formal institutions and informal politics in Poland Aitalina Azarova, Formal institutions and informal politics in Russia Kerstin Zimmer, Formal institutions and informal politics in Ukraine

The book is among first complete guides of the relation between informal and formal politics in this region and represents a valuable source of information and reference for all those economists, sociologists and journalists. The scholars in the area of post-communist studies are offered not only a new challenging theoretical background, but also an impressive amount of data and biographical references, opening an impressive number of ways of any further researches. CEU Political Science Journal Vol. 5, No. 2/2010 Zusammenfassend kann festgehalten werden, dass der Sammelband von Gerd Meyer eine beeindruckende Bestandsaufnahme informeller Politik in den vier erfassten post-sozialistischen Staaten leistet. Heike Pleines, Osteuropa 7/2007