Paradoxes of Institutional Development: The New Democratic Parliaments of Central Europe

Abstract

The parliaments of newly democratic Central Europe face six paradoxes of institutional development: new members in outmoded facilities; from monocentric party to multi-party systems; new conflicts and old rules; committees as structures of expertise and power; executive puzzle of “president, cabinet and parliament”; and active parliament and disbelieving public. These institutional paradoxes result from and are contained within, the grand paradox of the opportunity/capability gap which faces all newly active parliaments, but which is experienced most acutely in the post-communist democracies. This article reviews the experience of the new Central European parliaments in the early years of their post-communist democracy.