Summary information

Study title

Elites and Institutions in Regional and Local Governance in Central and Eastern Europe, 1999-2001

Creator

Sasse, G., London School of Economics and Political Science, European Institute

John, P., Keele University, Department of Politics

Study number / PID

4691 (UKDA)

10.5255/UKDA-SN-4691-1 (DOI)

Data access

Restricted

Series

Not available

Abstract

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The transformation of the states of Central and Eastern Europe (CEECs) from communist satellites to capitalist democracies and full members of the European Union is a process that is generally understood as one that has been driven by EU conditionality and its impact on the compliance of the CEECs. This project aimed to investigate EU conditionality and evaluate its impact on institution-building in states undergoing post-communist transformation in Eastern Europe. The following were employed as case studies: (i) regional policy and the process of regionalisation and (ii) minority issues. The research was developed around two key and innovative elements. Firstly, how post-communist transition is affected or shaped by actors and structures at the sub-national level, in regions, cities, and localities. Secondly, the effects of EU conditionality and 'Europeanisation' in the CEECs were investigated by examining whether there was a transference of state forms, traditions and administrative practice from EU states. The researchers conducted large-scale systematic interviewing of elites in seven cities in eastern Europe, including states that were first wave candidates for membership, states that were in the second wave, and states that were unlikely to become members. The interviews conducted in five of the seven cities have been amalgamated to produce a dataset for studying the attitudes of regional and local elites to economic and political transition, to the European Union and NATO, as well as sociological data on their career trajectories since the collapse of communism.Main Topics:The dataset includes the results of local elites interviews conducted in five cities in Eastern Europe between 1999 and 2001. The case study cities were Pecs in Hungary, Tartu in Estonia, Maribor in Slovenia, Cluj in Romania and Katowice in Poland. The data falls into a number of categories: (i) basic sociological...

Elites and leadershipInternational politics and organisations

ADMINISTRATIVE AREASADMINISTRATORSAGEBUSINESSESCITIZENSHIPCOMMUNICATION PERSONNELCOMMUNIST PARTIESCULTURAL ASSOCIATIONSDEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMESEAST (COMMUNIST STATES)EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATIONSEDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Data collection period

01/01/1999 - 01/01/2001

Country

Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia

Time dimension

Cross-sectional (one-time) study

Analysis unit

Individuals

Cross-national

Universe

The principal units being studied were elite members in five cities across Eastern Europe, many in local government, local politicians, local business elites and local NGOs. These were key regional 'second' cities in the selected countries. In countries where there was more than one potential option, cities were selected that were geographically oriented to the EU and/or had a reputation for being 'Europeanised'.

Sampling procedure

Elite members in each city were selected as follows:
First positional criteria were used to identify an initial selection of 20-25 individuals for interviewing who were drawn from senior elected and appointed officials in the executive and legislative bodies of each city. After this initial selection, the process was snowballed to other elite members using reputational criteria to identify other leading elite members. Using this method, as many as possible of the elite members identified were interviewed. Most of these came from regional and local government, business, the mass media and to a letter extent, the cultural intelligentsia, up to a maximum of 75 in each city.

Kind of data

Numeric

Data collection mode

Face-to-face interview

The results of the interviews were coded and combined to make a composite dataset.

Grant number

L213252030

Publisher

UK Data Service

Publication year

2003

Terms of data access

The Data Collection is available to UK Data Service registered users subject to the End User Licence Agreement.

Commercial use of the data requires approval from the data owner or their nominee. The UK Data Service will contact you.

Sasse, G., Hughes, J. and Gordon, C. (2002) 'Saying ‘Maybe’ to the ‘Return to Europe’:: Elites and Political Space for Euroscepticism in Central and Eastern Europe', European Union Politics, 327-355
Hughes, J. and Sasse, G. (2003) 'Monitoring the Monitors:: EU Enlargement Conditionality and Minority Protection in the CEECS', Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe
Hughes, J., Sasse, G. and Gordon, C. (2001) 'Enlargement and Regionalization:: The Europeanization of Local and Regional Governance in CEE States' in H. Wallace (ed.), , Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 145-178. ISBN033-3802969 | 978-0333802960
Gordon, C., Sasse, G. and Hughes, J. (2003) EU Enlargement and Power Asymmetries:: Conditionality and the Commission's Role in Regionalisation in Central and Eastern Europe, [Working paper].Brighton: Sussex European Institute, University of Sussex.
Sasse, G., Gordon, C. and Hughes, J. (2004) Europeanization and Regionalization in the EU's Enlargement to Central and Eastern Europe:: The Myth of Conditionality, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan UK.ISBN 978-0-230-50318-2
Gordon, C., Hughes, J. and Sasse, G. (2003) 'EU Enlargement, Europeanisation and the Dynamics of Regionalisation in the CEECs' in M. Keating and J. Hughes (eds.), , Brussels: Peter Lang (Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes). ISBN978-9052011875 | 905-2011877
Sasse, G. (2001) 'The EU Common Strategy on Ukraine:: A Response to Ukraine's pro-European Choice?' in A. Lewis (ed.), , London: Federal Trust. ISBN190-3403189 | 978-1903403181
Hughes, J. (2003) 'Regional Convergence and Divergence in an Enlarged EU' in M. Keating and J. Hughes (eds.), , Brussels: Peter Lang (Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes). ISBN978-9052011875 | 905-2011877
Majcherkiewicz, T., Sasse, G., Gordon, C. and Hughes, J. (2003) 'Silesia and the Politics of Regionalisation in Poland' in G. Kolankiewicz and T. Zarycki (eds.), , London: School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London . ISBN090-3425718 | 978-0903425711
Gordon, C., Hughes, J. and Sasse, G. (2001) The Regional Deficit in Eastward Enlargement of the European Union:: Top-down politics and bottom up reactions, [Working paper].Brighton: Sussex European Institute, University of Sussex.