Pop Idols and Pirates: Mechanisms of Consumption and the Global Circulation of Popular Music

...a welcomed contribution to our knowledge of the contextual complexity of public and private party financing in Eastern Europe. Having successfully explored the funding landscape in each country the volume then manages to highlight some of the commonalities between cases ... enhancing our general understanding of the effect of finance on party system development. Joacute;hanna Kristiacute;n Birnir, University of Maryland, USA This key volume explores how party and campaign finance in post-communist countries have influenced the development of the party system. Based on an analysis of nine case studies, the volume examines how the implementation of public finance affects the pattern of party competition and the role of money in elections. One of the lessons from the post-communist experience is that, no matter how well-designed they are, public finance systems are subject to constant revision as parties, politicians and business elites exploit loopholes which can undermine the integrity of the entire system. Party and campaign finance systems must therefore be considered in a larger discussion involving party regulation and electoral rules. Contents: Preface; Introduction: the influence of public finance on post-Communist party systems, Steven D. Roper; Russia: public offices, private money and biased contests, Vladimir Gel'man; Lithuania: political finance regulations as a tool of political manipulation, Ingrida Unikaite; Latvia: disclosure yet abuse, volatility yet stability, Janis Ikstens; Estonia: the increasing costs and weak oversight of party finance, Allan Sikk and Riho Kangur; Czech Republic: is it possible to buy political stability?, Lukaacute;scaron; Linek and Jan Outlyacute;; Moldova: party institutionalization in a resource-scarce environment, Oleh Protsyk and Ion Osoian; Bulgaria: 3 finance regimes and their implications, Tatania Kostadinova; Hungary: rules, norms and stability undermined, Gabriella Ilonszki; Romania: the secondary influence of public finance on the party system, Steven D. Roper, Adrian Moraru and Elena Iorga; Index. About the Author: Dr. Steven D. Roper is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Eastern Illinois University, USA and Dr Janis Ikstens is an Associate Professor at the University of Latvia, Latvia.