CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2016
| Author | Popsoi, Mihail |
|---|---|
| Title | Europeanization of Moldovan Political Parties in the Absence of EU Membership Perspective |
| Summary | Europeanization has become a household name in political science and public policy research. Yet, the niche of political party Europeanization, particularly in non-EU and non-candidate countries, is often overlooked. The purpose of this research is to identify the extent of Europeanization witnessed by Moldovan political parties and how this process affects the country’s aspirations of European integration. Political party Europeanization is conceptualized by means of addressing programmatic change, relations beyond the national political system, and patterns of party competition. Qualitative content analysis of party manifestos reveals the nature and degree of the Europeanization of political discourse. The level of ties with fellow European party federations confirms the trend of increased Europeanization. Questionnaires with leading politicians and lawmakers offer further insights into the political party Europeanization process in a non candidate country. Coalition behaviour points to the impact of Europeanization on the European integration process. Increased Europeanization is not matched by tangible improvements in the country’s democracy, human rights and anti-corruption rankings. Neither does it considerably further Moldova’s European integration goal. Hence, we are presented with a case of Potemkin Europeanization in which political parties employ the Europeanization discourse as a legitimation devise. Actor-centred constructivism offers a persuasive explanation, emphasising that actors are not selflessly embedded in the social structures, but use discourse in a strategic way. This, it turn, raises important questions about the process of socialization and lesson learning in the absence of EU membership driven conditionality. The study also raises questions about the effectiveness of good governance assistance and EU’s normative power in a highly contested geopolitical environment. |
| Supervisor | Puetter, Uwe; Davidescu, Simona |
| Department | School of Public Policy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2016/popsoi_mihail.pdf |
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