Comparing Third-Wave Democracies: East Central Europe and the ROC
Author(s)
Wu, Yu-Shan
Abstract
Develops a four-category analytical framework to compare the process of democratic consolidation in East Asia (the Republic of China on Taiwan, in particular) and East and Central Europe – Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. The four categories are social cleavage, party system, constitutional framework, and the nature of elections. Each category affects political stability. A major finding is that Taiwan has been characterized by prematerialist social cleavages, a biparty system sustained by the single nontransferable vote (SNTV) electoral regime, the staying power of the Guomindang, a semipresidential structure plagued by divided government, and identity voting. In contrast, the East European countries have been characterized by materialist social cleavages, a multiparty system, a parliamentary constitutional structure (except for Poland, which shares with the Republic of China a semipresidential system), and economic voting.
