Partiparadoxen i postsovjetiska hybridregimer: Hur politiska partier driver och anpassar sig till presidentmaktsförändringar
Comparative studies of constitutional shifts between regime types are rare, despite the post-Soviet region now offering rich empirical opportunities. Over the past three decades, several countries have undergone transitions from strong to weaker presidencies. A clear trend has emerged away from president-centered constitutions toward semi-presidentialism (Armenia 2005, Georgia 2013, Ukraine 2006, 2014) and, more recently, parliamentarism (Armenia 2015, Georgia 2017). While research often links the effects of such shifts to party institutionalization, there is a lack of knowledge about the role of political parties in actually initiating these reforms.
Through a comparative analysis of Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine — hybrid regimes oscillating between democracy and autocracy and marked by geopolitical vulnerability — this book project examines how political parties both drive and are shaped by reforms that weaken presidential power. The study draws on qualitative and statistical data, most of which has already been collected, and challenges the notion that political parties are irrelevant actors in the post-Soviet context. The project contributes by (1) explaining when and why president-centered systems are weakened, and (2) providing new insights into how internal and external factors influence institutional change.
During part of the project, I will be based at Tampere University, collaborating with colleagues engaged in comparative studies of presidential power.
Through a comparative analysis of Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine — hybrid regimes oscillating between democracy and autocracy and marked by geopolitical vulnerability — this book project examines how political parties both drive and are shaped by reforms that weaken presidential power. The study draws on qualitative and statistical data, most of which has already been collected, and challenges the notion that political parties are irrelevant actors in the post-Soviet context. The project contributes by (1) explaining when and why president-centered systems are weakened, and (2) providing new insights into how internal and external factors influence institutional change.
During part of the project, I will be based at Tampere University, collaborating with colleagues engaged in comparative studies of presidential power.