The European Union and consolidating democracy in Central and Eastern Europe

• Autores: Meredith-Joy Petersheim
• Localización: Revue d'integration europeenne= Journal of european integration, ISSN 0703-6337, Vol. 34, Nº 1, 2012, págs. 75-91
• Idioma: inglés
• Enlaces
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• Resumen

  • Since the integration process commenced, there has been debate over whether the countries in Central and Eastern Europe have seen a surge or decline in democracy after signing accession treaties to join the European Union (EU). Drawing upon a sample of 24 Central and Eastern European countries, I test whether EU candidates and members have experienced an increase in levels of democracy since the onset of accession, as opposed to their non-EU neighbours. I also test the effects of EU candidacy and membership on state-level civil liberties and political rights. These analyses are conducted while controlling for relevant factors: gross domestic product per capita, trade openness and type of democratic � parliamentary versus presidential � system. All countries in Central and Eastern Europe that have complete and comparable data available are included in the empirical analysis. In conclusion, I find that there is a positive and significant relationship between integration and civil liberties.