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Introduction to Post-Communist Social Change , Spring 2013 Mikko Lagerspetz Åbo Akademi Sociology mlagersp@abo.fi. I Introduction (19. 3 2013).
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Introduction to Post-Communist Social Change, Spring 2013 Mikko Lagerspetz Åbo Akademi Sociology mlagersp@abo.fi I Introduction (19. 3 2013)
Teachers: Mikko Lagerspetz, Professor, Sociology, ÅA (course leader)Henri Vogt, Professor, International Politics, TYSabina Hadzibulic, PhD Candidate, Belgrad University • 19. 3 Tuesday, 15-17: Introduction (Mikko) • 20. 3 Wednesday, 15-17: Democratisation (Henri) • 26. 3 Tuesday, 15-17: Challenges of transformation (Henri) • 27. 3 Wednesday, 15-17: NO LECTURE • 2. 4 Tuesday, 15-17: Civil society etc (Mikko) • 3. 4 Wednesday, 15-17: Identity and ethnicity (Mikko) • 9. 4 Tuesday, 15-17: Global, EU etc (Henri) • 10. 4 Wednesday, 15-17: Economic transformation (Sabina) • 16. 4 Tuesday, 15-17: The Yugoslavian case (Sabina) • 17. 4 Wednesday, 15-17: Conclusions (Mikko)
Why Post-Communism? • Science: idiographic – giving descriptions and analyses of unique events and phenomena – or nomothetic – finding out about general laws and regularities • a region of 400 million people • historical development • a laboratory of social and institutional change
”Triple transformation” (Claus Offe) • change of economy from (in principle) planned to market economy; • change of political system; • change of society and culture; and also • the emergence of new states and a change in the previously existing states’ place in the international system
Models of welfare capitalism • Gøsta Esping-Andersen (1990): • Liberal • Corporatist-Statist • Social Democratic Later, he proposed another type: • Mediterranean
The appeal of authoritarianism • Is liberal democracy an inevitable outcome of economic modernization? (Francis Fukuyama 1990: The End of History and the Last Man) • among the South-East Asian economic ”tigers” such as Singapore there has occurred rapid economic growth and modernization without political liberalisation. Even this developmental path can have its appeal
A temporary condition? • “transition” creates the picture of a temporary state. Cf. “developing countries”, or the way in which the Real Socialist regimes legitimated their system: it was a transition towards Communism, in which all problems would be solved • normative and teleological
Post-Communism: shared characteristics • George (György) Schöpflin (1997: 4) two main traits that characterise post-communist societies: • 1) Genesis environment – many possible paths of development were (and partly, still are) open • 2) Liminality – parts of the old society and culture remain, live alongside with new structures, values, norms, ideas etc.
Explaining transformation • Poland 1980s; Gorbachev 1985-; Revolutions 1990-91; Dissolution of SU 1992 • 1) normative 2) remuneratory 3) coercive => 1) ideology, 2) economy; 3) military power
(picture: Martti Innanen) Thank you for your attention!