Leiden University Student Repository

Buijze, Merel (2021)

The Quality of Democratic Consolidation; A Comparative Study Between Hungary and Estonia

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

This thesis aims to uncover what factors explain the quality of democratic consolidation, whilst focussing on the recently transitioned democracies of Eastern and Central Europe. Building upon literature by scholar David Beetham, the thesis provides a framework of conditions that influence democratic consolidation. The thesis then uses this framework to analyse the quality of democratic consolidation concerning two opposites on the spectrum of democratic consolidation in Eastern and Central Europe: Hungary and Estonia. From this analysis, the thesis concludes that economic growth, quality of education, antidemocratic behaviour, and the proportionality of the electoral system are the conditions that best explain the contrasting outcomes regarding the quality of democratic consolidation in Hungary and Estonia.

Democracy

Democratic Consolidation

Democratization

Democratic Transition

Eastern and Central Europe

Estonia

Hungary

Author

Buijze, Merel

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Europe

Supervisors

Broad, M.

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en