New Conservatives in Russia and East Central Europe

New Conservatives is a highly important collection which offers far more than a standard set of well-researched case studies. Its original reframing of illiberal trends in post-Communist Europe as a new conservative challenge, and stress on reflexive actors rooted in the evolving civil and political societies of the region goes a long way to filling the widening gaps in current explanations that have been over-focused on party politics and over-reliant on generic models of a populist surge brought about by economic shocks and flagging Europeanization. - Sean Hanley, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, London in The Slavonic and East European Review This excellent study [...] focuses on three cases which are rarely combined, i.e. Russia, Poland and Hungary. Comparing them not only allows us to spot their differences and similarities (vide: the great conclusion chapter by the editors) but also enables a deeper understanding of conservatism in the realities of the post-communist East Central Europe. - Alicja Curanovic, University of Warsaw in TRAFO - Blog for Transregional Research Over the past decade European democratic regimes have begun to take on the features of non-democracies by using legal restrictions on protest and constitutional amendments, refusing to register political parties and restricting referendums. This book focuses on how policymakers responsible for these changes self-legitimize and legitimize political decisions, which makes it a timely, interesting and relevant contribution to studies on illiberal democracies and contemporary political theory. - Joanna Rak, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan in JCMS - Journal of Common Market Studies