"The Two Faces of International Assistance"

Petrova, Tsveta. (2005) "The Two Faces of International Assistance". In: UNSPECIFIED, Austin, Texas. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

[From the Abstract]. The paper examines how international cooperation practices influence the policy-making processes in Central and Eastern Europe; the focus is on the consequences for the democratization projects of these states in general and in particular – for their elites’ autonomy. The analysis is based on a qualitative comparative study of the impact a security and an economic/governmental international organization, NATO and the EU, have had on two Central and East European countries – Poland and Romania – which were diametrically opposite with respect to their elites’ autonomy before the cooperation process began. The study traces the chronological development of the EU’s and NATO’s involvement in Central and Eastern Europe, focusing on the content of cooperation and how it impacts elite accountability and control. Furthermore, since international regimes could influence the way domestic forces exercise control over their elites, the paper also examines whether the institutionalization of the cooperation processes limits or encourages the elites’ autonomy by redistributing elites’ and domestic groups’ access to procedural and cognitive political resources. The procedural instruments examined include policy-making initiative and institutions, while the cognitive resources studied are ideas and information to monitor and evaluate government performance.

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