Legacies of state socialism: a comparative study of elite attitudes towards EU economic competitiveness in Western and Central Eastern Europe

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Centrinės ir Rytų Europos šalys; ES ekonominė politika; Ekonomikos konkurencingumas; Ekonominis konkurencingumas; Elitas; Elito požiūris; Socialinė gerovė; Vakarų ir Vidurio Rytų Europa; Central and Eastern European countries; EU economic policy; Economic competition; Economic competitiveness; Elite attitudes; Elites; Social welfare; The European Union; Western and Central Eastern Europe; Europos Sąjunga (European Union).

ENThe elites of Western Europe prefer social security for all citizens as the major aim of the EU, while the preference of Central and Eastern European elites is for a more globally competitive European economy. This disparity between elite preferences may be accounted for by the distinct electorates and elites’ responsive strategic calculations, or by the process of socialisation Central and Eastern European elites undergo during exposure to the EU. This article argues that the predominant reason for the difference in elite attitudes towards economic competition is the lasting effect of state socialism in Central and Eastern European countries. [From the publication]

• Elite attitudes towards the EU in Western and Central Eastern Europe: a tale of two Europes? / Marco Cilento & Nicolò Conti. Europe-Asia studies. 2021, vol. 73, iss. 4, p. 603-624.
• Elitų Europa : tapatybių ir interesų kaleidoskopas / Irmina Matonytė, Vaidas Morkevičius. Vilnius : Firidas, 2013. 282 p.