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Limited Influence? The Role of the Party of European Socialists in Shaping Social Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2013

Michael Holmes  and
Simon Lightfoot
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Abstract

This article looks at the role of the Party of European Socialists (PES) in its attempts to shape social democratic parties in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) towards a West European norm. It discusses how existing views in the academic literature on the role of transnational parties are inadequate. We argue that the PES did not play a key role in encouraging the establishment and development of parties in the CEE states from the 2004 enlargement in the early stages of accession. We contend that the overall influence of party federations has been limited, and that these limitations were as much in evidence before enlargement took place as they were afterwards.

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Articles
Information
Government and Opposition , Volume 46 , Issue 1 , 2011 , pp. 32 - 55
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2011.

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References

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