Теоретико-методологічні засади дослідження демократичних переходів та їх специфіка у країнах Центральної та Східної Європи

Abstract

This article is aimed to review the methodology of researches in democratic transitions. The author analyses modern concepts of democracy and democratization processes. The subject also focuses on structural phases of transformation and singles out main elements of political transition. The author emphasizes democratization problems in Central and Eastern European countries, as well as in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The article states several regularities in democratic transformations in political systems of post-communist countries. The analyst states that the democratization processes that have taken part in the countries of Latin America very from that in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential difference in these two phenomena lays in the fact that the communist countries, in common, strive to develop pluralistic democracy and market economy combined, while in the transition from authoritarian regime the market conditions were available.