This study conducts a systematic analysis of ethnic politics in Central and Eastern Europe. Ethnicity and ethnic parties have often been portrayed as a threat to political stability, against a backdrop of recurring ethnic mobilization and conflict during the post-communist era.
The book defines the key concepts of ethnic identity and partisan-descriptive representation. Examining 130 ethnic groups in central and eastern European democracies, it challenges the notion that the organization of politics in heterogeneous societies should necessarily overcome ethnicity, and argues that descriptive representation of ethnic groups has the potential to increase regime support and reduce conflict.
The author considers which factors influence the electoral entry and success of ethnic minority parties and the levels of groups' partisan-descriptive representation in parliament, and how this impacts on individual levels of satisfaction with democracy and the protest behaviour of minority groups.
Applying a consistent analytical lens on voter behaviour and party competition, this study demystifies ethnic politics and offers a unified theory of politics and ethnic parties.
