Back to Results
Cover image of Runaway State-Building
Cover image of Runaway State-Building
Share this Title:

Runaway State-Building

Patronage Politics and Democratic Development

Conor O'Dwyer

Publication Date
Binding Type

Here, Conor O'Dwyer introduces the phenomenon of runaway state-building as a consequence of patronage politics in underdeveloped, noncompetitive party systems. Analyzing the cases of three newly democratized nations in Eastern Europe—Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia—O’Dwyer argues that competition among political parties constrains patronage-led state expansion.

O’Dwyer uses democratization as a starting point, examining its effects on other aspects of political development. Focusing on the link between electoral competition and state-building, he is able to draw parallels between the...

Here, Conor O'Dwyer introduces the phenomenon of runaway state-building as a consequence of patronage politics in underdeveloped, noncompetitive party systems. Analyzing the cases of three newly democratized nations in Eastern Europe—Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia—O’Dwyer argues that competition among political parties constrains patronage-led state expansion.

O’Dwyer uses democratization as a starting point, examining its effects on other aspects of political development. Focusing on the link between electoral competition and state-building, he is able to draw parallels between the problems faced by these three nations and broader historical and contemporary problems of patronage politics—such as urban machines in nineteenth-century America and the Philippines after Marcos.

This timely study provides political scientists and political reformers with insights into points in the democratization process where appropriate intervention can minimize runaway state-building and cultivate efficient bureaucracy within a robust and competitive democratic system.

Reviews

Reviews

The product of painstaking research — and a keen intellect.

Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through practitioners.

Interesting and instructive comparative political analysis.

O'Dwyer's book is an important contribution to the literature on post-communist development.

The uniqueness of the book lies in its theoretical sophistication substantiated by numerous empirical comparisons across the globe, which makes it a valuable contribution to the literature on comparative politics and political sociology.

See All Reviews
About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
296
ISBN
9780801883651
Illustration Description
8 line drawings
Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables
Preface
List of Acronyms
Introduction
1. The Concept and Causes of Runaway State-Building
2. Constraining Government Patronage: Different Logics of Party Competition
3. The

List of Figures and Tables
Preface
List of Acronyms
Introduction
1. The Concept and Causes of Runaway State-Building
2. Constraining Government Patronage: Different Logics of Party Competition
3. The Runaway State-Building Phenomenon: Patronage Politics and Bureaucratic Rationalization
4. Remaking the Regions: The Europeanization of the State or Domestic Politics as Usual?
5. Local Control: Local Parties and Local State Administrations
6. A Runaway Welfare State? Postcommunist Welfare Politics
7. Exporting the Argument: Party Competition and State Effectiveness in Other New Democracies
Conclusion
Appendixes
1. Data on the Number of State Administrative Personnel
2. Data on Salaries
3. Interview Sample
4. Data Used to Calculate Party System Fractionalization
5. Countries Used in Cross-National Comparison
Notes
References
Index

Author Bio
Resources

Additional Resources