The relationship between democratisation and invigoration of civil society: The case of Hungary and Poland

Abstract

This paper argues that democratization does not necessarily bring invigoration of civil society in post-transition countries. Rather than taking for granted democratization as a positive effect on the development of civil society, democratic theory should magnify the conditions under which democratization will have a positive impact on the development of civil society in post-transition countries. In order for that one should put institutionalization of policy-making and internal democracy in civil society organizations under scope. In this sense the main argument of the paper is the following: to an extent that elitism remains embedded into the operations of the political and civil societies during the democratic consolidation period, the effect of democratization on the invigoration of civil society will be crippled. Hungary and Poland are the case studies for this paper.