Is There a Future for Liberalism in Eastern Europe?
Is There a Future for Liberalism in Eastern Europe?

Summary/Abstract: Taking as his starting point the methodological precepts of the American liberal political scientist Adam Przeworski about the importance of the action theory analysis of the transformational dynamics of postauthoritarian societies, the author looks into the prospects of liberal reforms in Eastern Europe. The central thesis of the article is that the reforms’ success depends on the balance of power between the liberal and the national-populist elites, who vie for public support. The outcome of that struggle will depend on the way in which the competing elites will act in response to five essential contextual factors: the need for economic and social security, the expectations of social justice, the dynamics of the integration with the West, the articulation of the national identity within a national state, and, possibly, the existence of ethnic minorities (i.e. the threat of inter-ethnic conflicts).

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