Kniha se zaměřuje na temata spojena s výzkumem kvality demokracie v CR. Pozornost se soustřeďuje ... more Kniha se zaměřuje na temata spojena s výzkumem kvality demokracie v CR. Pozornost se soustřeďuje na volene reprezentanty, na participaci, stranickou soutěž, politickou odpovědnost, miliardaře v politice, apod. Mnoha tato temata jsou přitom zkoumana jak na urovni narodni, tak na dalsich urovnich vladnuti - regionalni a lokalni.
On 1 May 2004, Slovakia became a new member state of the European Union, together with seven othe... more On 1 May 2004, Slovakia became a new member state of the European Union, together with seven other countries of the former Communist Europe as well as Malta and Cyprus. Yet only six years earlier, representatives of the European Union had expressed serious doubts and reservations about the commitment of the Slovak government to respect even basic procedural aspects of democracy. Lack of respect for political rights of the parliamentary opposition, violation of civic and ethnic minority rights, negligence of the country’s Constitutional Court and thwarting of the referendum by the Ministry of Interior were the most frequently quoted reasons for exclusion of the country from negotiations on early accession to EU and NATO in late 1997. Yet Slovakia had not been excluded completely: no political sanctions had been imposed and a formal inclusion into the second ‘Luxembourg’ group of EU candidate countries had been granted. Moreover, within less than a decade, Slovakia was able to catch up with its neighbours (Bilcik, 2001) and not only became a full member of the NATO in early 2004, but also successfully concluded rather difficult negotiations on the EU accession and entered the EU in the same year. Clearly, Slovakia has undergone a process of transition to democracy that has been characterized by many twists and turns as well as difficulties, where the former semi-authoritarian political forces in control of the government were replaced by a government adhering to the basic principles of democracy.
Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Sep 1, 2006
In post-communist Slovakia, in the early stage of party system development, parties used patronag... more In post-communist Slovakia, in the early stage of party system development, parties used patronage as the principal tool to boost their organizational development. From the late 1990s onwards, the importance of state subventions has increased dramatically. Parties still widely enjoy the benefits brought about by patronage; however, it has either decreased or been used more proportionally. Important distinctions are found between patronage practices within the vertical and horizontal state administration. The chief explanation rests in the need for parties to strengthen regional party organizations by allocating to their representatives positions within the vertical (regional) state administration.
Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Dec 1, 2009
Accession to the European Union has changed politics in the states of Central and Eastern Europe ... more Accession to the European Union has changed politics in the states of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), but such statements of the obvious only provoke further questions concerning the depth, breath and durability of the changes. Although the tentacles of the EU stretch into ...
Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Jun 1, 2008
A detailed examination of the 2006 parliamentary elections in Slovakia highlights the evolving pa... more A detailed examination of the 2006 parliamentary elections in Slovakia highlights the evolving pattern of party competition in the country. A transformation of the party pol-itical scene in the country has taken place, from one dominated by questions of the character of the political ...
Kniha se zaměřuje na temata spojena s výzkumem kvality demokracie v CR. Pozornost se soustřeďuje ... more Kniha se zaměřuje na temata spojena s výzkumem kvality demokracie v CR. Pozornost se soustřeďuje na volene reprezentanty, na participaci, stranickou soutěž, politickou odpovědnost, miliardaře v politice, apod. Mnoha tato temata jsou přitom zkoumana jak na urovni narodni, tak na dalsich urovnich vladnuti - regionalni a lokalni.
On 1 May 2004, Slovakia became a new member state of the European Union, together with seven othe... more On 1 May 2004, Slovakia became a new member state of the European Union, together with seven other countries of the former Communist Europe as well as Malta and Cyprus. Yet only six years earlier, representatives of the European Union had expressed serious doubts and reservations about the commitment of the Slovak government to respect even basic procedural aspects of democracy. Lack of respect for political rights of the parliamentary opposition, violation of civic and ethnic minority rights, negligence of the country’s Constitutional Court and thwarting of the referendum by the Ministry of Interior were the most frequently quoted reasons for exclusion of the country from negotiations on early accession to EU and NATO in late 1997. Yet Slovakia had not been excluded completely: no political sanctions had been imposed and a formal inclusion into the second ‘Luxembourg’ group of EU candidate countries had been granted. Moreover, within less than a decade, Slovakia was able to catch up with its neighbours (Bilcik, 2001) and not only became a full member of the NATO in early 2004, but also successfully concluded rather difficult negotiations on the EU accession and entered the EU in the same year. Clearly, Slovakia has undergone a process of transition to democracy that has been characterized by many twists and turns as well as difficulties, where the former semi-authoritarian political forces in control of the government were replaced by a government adhering to the basic principles of democracy.
Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Sep 1, 2006
In post-communist Slovakia, in the early stage of party system development, parties used patronag... more In post-communist Slovakia, in the early stage of party system development, parties used patronage as the principal tool to boost their organizational development. From the late 1990s onwards, the importance of state subventions has increased dramatically. Parties still widely enjoy the benefits brought about by patronage; however, it has either decreased or been used more proportionally. Important distinctions are found between patronage practices within the vertical and horizontal state administration. The chief explanation rests in the need for parties to strengthen regional party organizations by allocating to their representatives positions within the vertical (regional) state administration.
Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Dec 1, 2009
Accession to the European Union has changed politics in the states of Central and Eastern Europe ... more Accession to the European Union has changed politics in the states of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), but such statements of the obvious only provoke further questions concerning the depth, breath and durability of the changes. Although the tentacles of the EU stretch into ...
Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Jun 1, 2008
A detailed examination of the 2006 parliamentary elections in Slovakia highlights the evolving pa... more A detailed examination of the 2006 parliamentary elections in Slovakia highlights the evolving pattern of party competition in the country. A transformation of the party pol-itical scene in the country has taken place, from one dominated by questions of the character of the political ...
The article examines the proposition that the characteristics
of ministerial advisers are shaped ... more The article examines the proposition that the characteristics of ministerial advisers are shaped by specific settings of the politicization of ministerial administration. Four types of politicization settings are identified, resulting from variation in the scope of formal political appointments and appointments into bureaucracy. Using data from an original expert survey and semi-structured expert interviews, the contribution analyses eleven cases from Central and Eastern Europe. It documents that the functional differentiation of advisers from other administrative actors, and their political and policymaking roles, are conditioned by the politicization settings in which they operate. The political roles of advisers are most pronounced where they do not face other formal political appointees, and appointments into bureaucracy are low. Policymaking roles are strongest where formal political appointees manage high politics, and bureaucratic appointments are limited. The article also identifies “invisible” advisers as a new type of player unknown in established Western bureaucracies.
Despite spells outside parliament, with its blend of nationalist and populist appeals the Slovak ... more Despite spells outside parliament, with its blend of nationalist and populist appeals the Slovak National Party (SNS) has been a prominent fixture on Slovakia's political scene for three decades. Unlike some of the newer parties in Slovakia and across the region, partly as a product of the point of its (re-)creation, SNS has a comparable organizational density to most established parties in the country and has invested in party branches and recruiting members. Although ordinary members exercised some power and influence during the fissiparous era of the early 2000s, SNS has been notable for the role played by its leader in decision-making and steering the party. Each leader placed their stamp on the projection, pitch and functioning of the party, both as a decision-making organization and an electoral vehicle. Ordinary members have been largely-but not exclusively-relegated to the role of cheerleaders and campaigners for the party's tribunes; a situation which has not changed significantly in the era of social media. The pre-eminent position of the leader and the limited options for "voice" has led unsuccessful contenders for top posts and their supporters to opt instead for "exit." Despite having some of the traits of the mass party and having engaged in some of the activities common for mass parties, especially in the earlier years of its existence, in more recent times in particular, SNS falls short of the mass party model both in aspiration and reality.
NISPAcee Journal of Public Administration and Policy, 2020
Th is contribution seeks to answer the question whether the new civil service legislation that en... more Th is contribution seeks to answer the question whether the new civil service legislation that entered into force in 2015 in the Czech Republic led to the depoliticization of the country's ministerial bureaucracy. To that end, we compare the career backgrounds of top civil servants before and aft er the entry into force of the new Civil Service Act. Th e article examines the career backgrounds of the persons appointed as ministerial deputies between 2013 and 2018, focusing on their last "pre-deputy" jobs and considering a broader set of their career attributes. A focus on the previous job reveals that even before the law was introduced, bureaucrats constituted the largest share of appointees, and their share even increased with the new legislation. Th e incidence of deputies appointed directly from party-related jobs dropped considerably. However, when a broader set of career attributes is considered, the share of partisans among the pre-2015 deputies nearly matches that of the career bureaucrats. Ostensibly political careers among the post-2015 deputies declined but remain signifi cant. Hence, there has been a decline in the open politicization of the ministerial bureaucracy aft er 2015. Party political eff ects also matter, as the new ANO party, aft er entering the executive, has taken a diff erent approach to top bureaucratic appointments than the other major governing Czech parties. Typically , deputies appointed into the positions under the ANO's control would not have links to the party itself but would be recruited via non-party channels, e.g. from pre-political networks of the ANO ministers and leaders. Consequently, though less politicized by party agents, the current Czech system is more a product of choices made by government ministers of the day than a stable arrangement resulting from fi rmly established norms and rules.
Patronage is typically studied following government terminations when
political parties appoint t... more Patronage is typically studied following government terminations when political parties appoint their nominees into the state administration. However, patronage is understudied in cases when a change of minister takes place without government termination. Taking individual government ministers as the units of analysis, we identify four modalities of ministerial alterations: replacing, successive, incumbent, and switching ministers. We show that politicization occurs under “replacing ministers” following government termination, but the bureaucratic turnover is equally high under “successive ministers.” That suggests that patronage can be seen as an individualized power resource of autonomous ministers who exercise influence independently of their political parties.
An analysis of national and regional elections reveals that elections are highly nationalized in ... more An analysis of national and regional elections reveals that elections are highly nationalized in Slovakia. However, the nationalization of regional elections does not translate into second-order election effects. Due to radically different electoral systems used for regional and national elections, political parties are induced to form alliances in regional but not in national elections and electoral alliances crossing the government-opposition divide are abundant in regional elections. Another notable and important regional election dynamic is the growing success of independent candidates. This trend can be interpreted as ‘departyisation’ of regional politics rather than regionalization. Regional elections may be conceived as ‘barometer elections’ whereby voters do not use their vote to punish parties in national government. Rather, the regional vote indicates the electoral prospects of parties in the upcoming national election.
Highlights
• The Election note reviews the key events and results of the parliamentary elections... more Highlights
• The Election note reviews the key events and results of the parliamentary elections in Slovakia held in March 2016.
• The ruling Smer-SD party obtained a plurality of votes and created an innovative four party government.
• The new executive is composed of a party representing Slovakia's largest ethnic minority as well as a party that has traditionally been the champion of Slovak nationalism.
• Established center-right parties performed poorly; extreme-right and populist protest parties entered the parliament for the first time.
Publikace analyzuje východiska, průběh a avýsledky parlamentních voleb na Slovensku v vroce 2016,... more Publikace analyzuje východiska, průběh a avýsledky parlamentních voleb na Slovensku v vroce 2016, které svými politickými důsledky dosahují charakteru politického zemětřesení. Kniha je rozdělena do tří pomyslných částí. První část (kapitoly jedna až tři) popisuje volební vstupy: složení kandidátních listin relevantních politických stran, proměny veřejného mínění a podpory voličů a kampaň jednotlivých kandidujících subjektů. Druhá část (kapitoly čtyři až šest) analyzuje samotné volební výsledky. Rozebírá strukturu teritoriální voličské podpory stran, trendy volební účasti a výsledky přednostního hlasování. Třetí část je tvořena pouze sedmou kapitolou. V ní přibližujeme proces vzniku nové vládní koalice a zasazujeme jej do širšího srovnávacího rámce příležitostí, hrozeb a dilemat vyplývajících z účasti na vládní moci.
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Papers by Marek Rybar
of ministerial advisers are shaped by specific
settings of the politicization of ministerial administration.
Four types of politicization settings are identified,
resulting from variation in the scope of formal political
appointments and appointments into bureaucracy. Using
data from an original expert survey and semi-structured
expert interviews, the contribution analyses eleven
cases from Central and Eastern Europe. It documents
that the functional differentiation of advisers from other
administrative actors, and their political and policymaking
roles, are conditioned by the politicization settings
in which they operate. The political roles of advisers are
most pronounced where they do not face other formal
political appointees, and appointments into bureaucracy
are low. Policymaking roles are strongest where
formal political appointees manage high politics, and
bureaucratic appointments are limited. The article also
identifies “invisible” advisers as a new type of player
unknown in established Western bureaucracies.
political parties appoint their nominees into the state administration.
However, patronage is understudied in cases when a change of minister
takes place without government termination. Taking individual government
ministers as the units of analysis, we identify four modalities of ministerial
alterations: replacing, successive, incumbent, and switching ministers.
We show that politicization occurs under “replacing ministers” following
government termination, but the bureaucratic turnover is equally high
under “successive ministers.” That suggests that patronage can be seen as
an individualized power resource of autonomous ministers who exercise
influence independently of their political parties.
• The Election note reviews the key events and results of the parliamentary elections in Slovakia held in March 2016.
• The ruling Smer-SD party obtained a plurality of votes and created an innovative four party government.
• The new executive is composed of a party representing Slovakia's largest ethnic minority as well as a party that has traditionally been the champion of Slovak nationalism.
• Established center-right parties performed poorly; extreme-right and populist protest parties entered the parliament for the first time.