Awards
Overview
Traian Basescu was elected president of Romania in December 2004 on a platform promising political reform and economic revitalization. To many, Basescu's election signaled the final defeat of the communist-successor political party and the end of the difficult transition period from authoritarianism to full democratization. Romania under Basescu: Aspirations, Achievements, and Frustrations during His First Presidential Term, edited by Ronald F. King and Paul E. Sum, examines the complex and contradictory mixture of societal reactions during this period. It was a time in which Romania finally joined the European Union and was included fully among the European family of nations, yet it was also a period remarkable for bitter political controversy and limited reform success. Romania under Basescu is comprised of seventeen contributions from scholars in Europe and North America, examining the Basescu period from a variety of theoretical and empirical perspectives. Of particular importance is the contribution by Vladimir Tismaneanu, named by President Basescu to chair the Presidential Commission for the Analysis of the Communist Dictatorship, which addresses the importance of memory and truth-telling as a means of mastering the past and advancing to the future. Ronald F. King and Paul E. Sum, in their introduction, develop the concept of ""Triage Democratization"" to help explain the inconsistent and uneven pace of Romanian democratization. With separate sections addressing issues of governance, civil society, and public policy, Romania under Basescu highlights a central paradox of post-communist Romanian development: having one foot stretching toward the future and the other rooted firmly in the past.
Full Product Details
Author: Ronald F. King ,
Paul E. Sum ,
Lucian-Liviu Albu ,
Gabriel Badescu
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint: Lexington Books
Dimensions:
Width: 16.40cm
, Height: 3.30cm
, Length: 24.10cm
Weight: 0.735kg
ISBN: 9780739148563
ISBN 10: 0739148567
Pages: 388
Publication Date: 14 June 2011
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.
Reviews
This volume is indispensible for scholars and practioners interested in Romania because of the breadth of issues addressed. King and Sum have done a masterful job of bringing together some of the best scholarship on Romania as the country looks to the future while attempting to confront its past.--Roper, Steven D.
This volume is indispensible for scholars and practioners interested in Romania because of the breadth of issues addressed. King and Sum have done a masterful job of bringing together some of the best scholarship on Romania as the country looks to the future while attempting to confront its past. -- Roper, Steven D. Romania under Basescu brings together many of the most active scholars from Romania, Europe, and North America. The authors examine institutions, politics, and policy formation at a key point in Romania's post-communist development. King and Sum's collection provides a welcome update on Romanian politics and policy for anyone who maintains an interest in the country or in the broader topic of democratic transitions. -- William Crowther This is a timely profile of the country as it emerges from post-communist isolation to try and play an effective role in the EU, the world's most important regional entity. A series of well-researched chapters examine change and resistance to it in arrange of policy dimensions. The authors are reputable scholars of the country and their insight is reflected in a set of perceptive analytical essays. The book shows that political partisanship, corruption, and defects in both the public administration and the economy greatly hamper progress, but also that grounds do exist for cautious optimism about Romania. -- Tom Gallagher
This volume is indispensible for scholars and practioners interested in Romania because of the breadth of issues addressed. King and Sum have done a masterful job of bringing together some of the best scholarship on Romania as the country looks to the future while attempting to confront its past. -- Steven D. Roper, Eastern Illinois University Romania under Basescu brings together many of the most active scholars from Romania, Europe, and North America. The authors examine institutions, politics, and policy formation at a key point in Romania's post-communist development. King and Sum's collection provides a welcome update on Romanian politics and policy for anyone who maintains an interest in the country or in the broader topic of democratic transitions. -- William Crowther, University of North Carolina Greensboro This is a timely profile of the country as it emerges from post-communist isolation to try and play an effective role in the EU, the world's most important regional entity. A series of well-researched chapters examine change and resistance to it in arrange of policy dimensions. The authors are reputable scholars of the country and their insight is reflected in a set of perceptive analytical essays. The book shows that political partisanship, corruption, and defects in both the public administration and the economy greatly hamper progress, but also that grounds do exist for cautious optimism about Romania. -- Tom Gallagher, University of Bradford, Great Britain
Romania under Basescu brings together many of the most active scholars from Romania, Europe, and North America. The authors examine institutions, politics, and policy formation at a key point in Romania's post-communist development. King and Sum's collection provides a welcome update on Romanian politics and policy for anyone who maintains an interest in the country or in the broader topic of democratic transitions.--William Crowther
Author Information
Ronald F. King is professor of political science at San Diego State University. Paul E. Sum is associate professor of political science and public administration at the University of North Dakota.
