Wpływ kryzysu gospodarczego na działanie systemu politycznego. Analiza przypadku Grecji, Hiszpanii i Włoch
The Impact of an Economic Crisis on the Functioning of a Political System . A Case Study of Greece, Spain and Italy

Author(s): Tomasz Kubin, Małgorzata Lorencka, Małgorzata Myśliwiec
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Social Sciences, Economy, National Economy, Sociology, Economic policy, Government/Political systems, Public Finances, Socio-Economic Research
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: Economic Crisis; Political System; Party system; Greek political system; The political system of Spain; Italian political system
Summary/Abstract: The main scientific goal of the following study is to show the impact of an economic crisis on the functioning of a political system. The object of detailed research studies was the political systems of Greece, Spain and Italy. It was in these European Union countries that the effects of the worldwide economic crisis seemed to have had the biggest influence on the workings of the constituent elements of the political system.The leading research hypothesis is that, under the conditions of representative democracy,the economic situation of a state is one of the major determinants of the stability and continuity of its political system. The better the economic condition of a state, the bigger its political system’s functional stability and ability to endure. On the other hand, under the conditions of a political crisis, this stability and continuity are seriously compromised.The analysis of the impact of the economic crisis on the functioning of political systems ledthe authors to the formulation of the following detailed hypotheses:The operations of political decision-making centres in Greece, Spain and Italy pertainingto economic issues — both on the central and local level — caused serious disruptions to thefunctioning of their political systems.1. The economic crisis in Greece, Spain and Italy caused considerable disruption to the rhythm of election cycles.2. The economic crisis in Greece, Spain and Italy affected the functioning of the party systems in these countries.3. The economic crisis in Spain and Italy considerably influenced an intensification of decentralizing tendencies in these countries.4. The economic crisis in Greece, Spain and Italy influenced an intensification of the process of formulating anti-system postulates by certain political groups.In the introduction, the subject related and methodological assumptions of the conductedresearch were put forward. Chapter one contains an analysis of problems related to the origins,course and consequences of the economic crisis of 2008. The next three chapters contain ananalysis of the consequences of this crisis for the functioning of the political systems of Greece, Spain and Italy. The closing chapter contains general conclusions resulting from the conducted research process.

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