Post-Communist Progress and Stagnation at 35 The Case of Romania

This book examines Romania’s efforts to consolidate liberal democracy and market economy, as desired by the generation who effected change in 1989 and required by the European Union.

“For anyone interested in contemporary Romania, the publication of Post-Communist Progress and Stagnation at 35, is an exciting event. Ably edited by distinguished Professors Lavinia Stan and Diane Vancea, this volume brings together sophisticated analyses by some of the most clear-sighted specialists to argue that Romania’s post-communist transformation has failed to achieve even an approximation of a liberal democracy or to create conditions in which the mainstream media, the educational system, or the economy itself can operate free of corruption and abuse.”

--Sabrina P. Ramet, author of East Central Europe and Communism: Politics, Culture, and Society, 1943-1991 (Routledge, 2023)

This book examines Romania’s efforts to consolidate liberal democracy and market economy, as desired by the generation who effected change in 1989 and required by the European Union. The ousting of Nicolae Ceausescu, leader of an autarchic and nationalistic dictatorship, underscored the limitations of politically engineering change when rule of law is weak, institutions are misused, and intolerance and cheating are prevalent. Despite initial hopes, Romania’s transition combined progress and stagnation, missed opportunities, detours, unintended consequences, and success. The contributions illustrate the tenuous relationship between continuity and change in a country that is yet to catch up with its neighbors.

Lavinia Stan is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Post-Communist Studies at St. Francis Xavier University, Canada.

Diane Vancea is Professor of Economics and International Affairs and President of the Senate of the University “Ovidius” in Constanta, Romania.