| This research examines the influence of economic factors and political culture on mass support for democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. The dissertation is divided into two parts. Part One presents the theoretical framework, measurement, and a generalizable cross-national empirical model of the effect of economic factors (economic policy, economic conditions, and economic perceptions) on democratic support. It is hypothesized that poor economic performance, characteristic of transition economies, lowers citizen support for the new democratic regimes. A cross-sectional analysis for 1994 is used to examine the relationship between the extent of economic reform and support for democracy. A pooled cross-sectional design is implemented to capture patterns across countries and over time. In addition, a Least Squares Dummy Variable Model is used to test for differences across the region. Findings indicate that economic perceptions have a significant positive impact on support for democracy. Measures of actual economic performance (inflation and percentage change real GDP) have no significant effect on democratic support. The LSDV model shows that Russia, Slovakia, and Albania have a negative effect on democratic support and Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Poland have a positive effect on democratic support.;Part Two of the dissertation investigates the political cultures of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, and Russia for additional explanation of democratic support. It is found that the higher levels of support in the Czech Republic can be ascribed to a pluralistic political culture. Conversely, the lack of a democratic political culture in Slovakia explains the lower level of democratic support. High levels of regime support in Lithuania are attributed to the citizenry's alienation from Soviet domination. Low levels of democratic support in Russia are explained by its long history of autocratic rule and authoritarian political culture. It is concluded that both the economic environment and political culture have an impact on democratic support. |
