Publication details
Professionalization and Democratic Backsliding? Political Campaigning in Central and Eastern Europe
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Article in Periodical (without peer review) |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | The fall of the communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe led to the emergence of free elections and the use of political campaigns to attract voters. While political marketing had a long tradition in Western democracies, this was new to the region. Over the last 15–20 years, campaign management and communication has also been rapidly professionalized. However, the fragility of young and new democracies was exposed and tested, and democratic backsliding in the region has been observable as well. The impact of democratic backsliding on elections, political campaigns, and political communication is, in general, significant, and opposition parties face severe and often unconquerable hurdles. The stability of the political system and the level of political culture in a country play a significant role. If the level of trust in government or political parties drops, voters look for new parties, and the semi-open character of political markets attracts numerous entrepreneurs and populists of all sorts. Thus, the paper focuses on the different aspects of political marketing professionalization and the symptoms of democratic backsliding as well. |