Local Democracy and Innovation in Eastern Europe

In this paper, the transition to democracy by Eastern European local governments is outlined. First, the 1990 elections are analyzed, the first democratic elections in half a century. Strategies of candidates and parties to gain power, and pressures toward privatization and economic development are discussed, drawing on fieldwork by Eastern European teams in the Local Democracy and Innovation Project. To clarify future directions of these new democracies, eight options are discussed—reliance on the traditional Soviet model, unions, clientelism, ethnic or regional identification, the church, the populist leader, voluntary associations, and the new political culture. These eight options constitute distinct rules of eight separate games. Rather than a single game or model predominating, continuity in these eight over time is expected. Still, the first games are likely to be superseded by those further down the list.