RUN THE STATE LIKE IT IS YOUR BUSINESS. A POLITICAL ECONOMY APPROACH TO THE RULE OF LAW CHALLENGES IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
RUN THE STATE LIKE IT IS YOUR BUSINESS. A POLITICAL ECONOMY APPROACH TO THE RULE OF LAW CHALLENGES IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Summary/Abstract: The debate around democratic backsliding in Central and Eastern Europe focuses on changes in formal rules that weaken the rule of law by populist right-wing leaders. However, this paper argues that the concept of democratic backsliding has limited explanatory value and overemphasizes formal institutions. Instead, a broader view, taking political and economy power into account, should be adopted: It allows for a conceptualisation of democratic backsliding as the result of the dominance of elites on state structures and the merging of political and private interests. The concept of state capture provides a suitable theoretical framework for this approach and reveals different strategies employed by elites, namely party and corporate state capture that undermine the independence of democratic institutions in the region. The example of the Czech Republic under former Prime Minister Babiš underpins the argument that the debate around democratic backsliding overlooks the risks of corporate state capture, which finds expression in high levels of corruption and the concentration of vast economic, political and media power.

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