Elections and Democratization in Ukraine

by Sarah Birch

Overview

Elections and Democratization in Ukraine analyses the role of competitive elections in the Ukraine's crucial democratic transition period of 1989 to 1998, focusing on how Ukrainian voters make vote choices and which electoral cleavages are most important. Contrary to those who claim that the Soviet Union left in its wake an atomized society with weak social divisions, this study argues that the Ukrainian electorate has from the advent of competitive elections exhibited relatively stable voting behaviour.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781349420537
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	01/01/2000
Edition description:	1st ed. 2000
Pages:	212
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.99(h) x (d)

About the Author

SARAH BIRCH is Lecturer in Politics at the University of Essex. Her research interests include elections and democratization, institutional design in Eastern Europe and democratic theory.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures Acknowledgements Note on Transliteration and Abbreviation Introduction The Emergence of Electoral Cleavages: Theoretical Preliminaries The Beginning of Choice: Elections to the Congress of People's Deputies, 1989 The Crystallization of Opposition: The Parliamentary Elections of 1990 Mobilizing for Independence: The Referendum and Presidential Elections of 1991 Independent Ukraine Votes: The Parliamentary and Presidential Elections of 1994 Party System Definition: The Parliamentary Elections of 1998 Democratization and Electoral Behaviour in Ukraine, 1989-1998 Conclusion Appendix Bibliography Index

Editorial Reviews

Birch is to be commended for this excellent study,which brings a comparative perspective to the Ukrainian electoral process.

Slavic Review

Analyzing the four parliamentary elections, two presidential election, and three referenda in Ukraine between 1989 and 1998, Birch (politics, U. of Essex) delves into how voters there make their choices, and which electoral cleavages are the most important. She challenges the notion that the aftermath of the Soviet Union was an atomized society, and finds that the electorate has exhibited relatively stable patterns of voting behavior that can be traced to social divisions that developed during the Soviet period. Her study is based on a doctoral dissertation, but she does not say for whom and when. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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