Acceso usuarios
Meredith-Joy Petersheim
Since the integration process commenced, there has been debate over whether the countries in Central and Eastern Europe have seen a surge or decline in democracy after signing accession treaties to join the European Union (EU). Drawing upon a sample of 24 Central and Eastern European countries, I test whether EU candidates and members have experienced an increase in levels of democracy since the onset of accession, as opposed to their non-EU neighbours. I also test the effects of EU candidacy and membership on state-level civil liberties and political rights. These analyses are conducted while controlling for relevant factors: gross domestic product per capita, trade openness and type of democratic � parliamentary versus presidential � system. All countries in Central and Eastern Europe that have complete and comparable data available are included in the empirical analysis. In conclusion, I find that there is a positive and significant relationship between integration and civil liberties.
