Review by Choice Review
Coulson (Univ. of Birmingham) edits a collection that examines subnational institutions and policy making in postcommunist countries. Apart from Coulson's introduction, chapters focus on single countries. The former Yugoslavia, Belarus, Moldova, Albania, and the Caucasus are excluded for reasons not made clear. The volume's first half offers descriptions of local structures and their functions since 1989. A more interesting second half tries to focus on the politics of local governance, but none of the articles rises to the level of "theoretical discussions about the nature of local democracy" suggested by Coulson's introduction. Literature about participation or democratic political behavior is not integrated; even Robert Dahl does not make it into the index. Reference to the literature about local politics during communist rule is largely absent (except for the chapter by Adrian Campbell on Russia). Many issues confronted by postcommunist local governments continue those of the prior decades (seen by comparing this book with Local Politics in Communist Countries, ed. by Daniel Nelson, 1980). The absence of longitudinal comparisons across regime types limits the theoretical interest of this collection. There is no bibliography, but the index is useful. Of chief interest for specialists in public administration and area studies. D. N. Nelson Old Dominion University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
