ABSTRACT This study will examine to what extent possible democratic backsliding in Croatia is occurring. Comparisons are drawn between the widely covered democratic backsliding in Hungary and the...Show moreABSTRACT This study will examine to what extent possible democratic backsliding in Croatia is occurring. Comparisons are drawn between the widely covered democratic backsliding in Hungary and the possible democratic backsliding in Croatia. To operationalize democracy and its backlash a theory first coined by Levitsky and Way will be used, Competitive Authoritarianism. The study will assess how Croatia scores on the different indicators that CA is composed of. One of the key findings of this study is that in both countries an electoral system exists with unbalanced constituencies, which can substantially influence election results. Another similarity that can be drawn on the basis of this study is of the politicized media authorities. The institutions that should be ensuring independence of the media are heavily politicized themselves, thus not independent. As far as lawsuits against journalists on the basis of libel and defamation the situation in both countries is problematic and raising concerns. Lawsuits against journalists are not often initiated by politicians and public figures, this leads to self-censorship of the media. Where claims about disadvantaging critical media financially can be made for the case of Hungary, for Croatia no strong evidence exist this is occurring. The main finding of the study is that the trends emerging within Hungary in regard to democratic backsliding only partially manifest themselves in Croatian society since EU accession. Due to the emerging characteristics of a CA regime the status of democracy in Croatia must be further examined.Show less
This paper provides insight into the nature of Sino-Cambodian relations in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative and a country-specific perspective through a research method based on...Show moreThis paper provides insight into the nature of Sino-Cambodian relations in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative and a country-specific perspective through a research method based on empirical findings and academic debates within the secondary literature on this topic and its research objectives. It has analysed and compared various perceptions on Cambodia’s ruling party and its motives to engage with China economically and politically through the BRI. This has been supported by the acquired facts on Cambodia’s crackdown on the opposition, the events surrounding the 2018 elections, client- patron structures, and trends of political and economic reliance. Furthermore, to acquire data of public opinion on Hun Sen’s increased cooperation with China, this paper has analysed Cambodian opinion pieces on Sino-Cambodian relations using interpretive, qualitative content analysis. It has therefore conducted an analysis of Cambodia’s ruling party, its objectives, and the implications for the political environment viewing China’s active role in providing political and economic support through the BRI. Consequently, this paper has found that Chinese aid and investments have been important to Hun Sen’s government in containing the opposition through political and media repression. Through the BRI, China’s non- interfering aid and investments enabled the ruling party to use more authoritarian measures against a growing political resistance.Show less
