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Socialization for Participation? Trust, Membership, and Democratization in East-Central Europe

Nuffield College

Citizens’ involvement in politics is essential for the credibility of institutions, as well as for the citizens’ articulation of their demands and the holding of their representatives to account. As such, it is of primary importance in new post-Communist democracies. The weakness of political society and low levels of citizens’ involvement in politics in East-Central Europe are usually linked to low levels of social capital (weak civil society and low levels of interpersonal trust) and the legacy of cooperation with Communism. Following the approach stressing the importance of participation in group networks as a school of democracy, this study tests the impact of interpersonal trust, membership in voluntary associations, and past Communist party membership on levels of political involvement in ten post-Communist countries in the mid-1990. This approach is complemented by the analysis of the impact of the change of political and economic structures on individual-level behavior.

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