By highlighting sub-national government developments as an essential component of the transition process in post-communist societies, the book aims to assess the process of democratization in the Visegrads: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia at this level. Focusing on the reform efforts introduced since 1990 at local and regional level, the book analyses the effectiveness of these emerging government structures in terms of competencies and resources, and places these developments in the context of democratic values, civil society, and economic planning.

`This volume deals with an extremely topical and important subject. Reform of local and territorial government is at the centre of political and economic transition in Central and Eastern Europe directly affecting the EU's eastward enlargement. The book compares Western and Eastern European experiences and perspectives. It also confronts a set of theoretical assumptions accumulated in recent years on the issues of democracy, integration and decentralization, with empirical evidence fron Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech republic. As such it represents a valuable source for those studying European integration, democratic theory, regional politics and regime change.' - Jan Zielonka, Professor of Political Science, European University Institute, Florence

`This excellent volume provides detailed empirical analyses by leading Central European specialists in local government, but also sets the issues into the broader context of changing patterns of state organization across Europe in chapters by Western scholars. It thus contributes usefully to consideration of the common problems faced by both parts of a formerly divided continent in a comparative way.'
- Dr J. R. Batt, Centre for Russian and East European Studies, University of Birmingham
'...this topical and informative collection of studies, a unique publication in English on the subject, calls our attention to the contribution of the Visegrads to wider European economic and political integration.' - Miklos Lojko, International Affairs

List of Figures and Tables
List of Contributors
Preface
Abbreviations
The Importance of Local and Regional Reform; E.Kirchner and T.Christiansen
Regionalization in Western Europe; T.Christiansen
Decentralized Government and Subsidiarity; N.Bernard
Regional and Local Development in Poland; J.Zaucha
Territorial Government in the Czech Republic; M.Illner
Slovakia: Changes in Public Administration; L.Faltan and V.Krivy
Hungarian Local Government; J.Hegedus
Euroregions on the Polish German Border; A.Kowalczyk
Poland and the EU: Trade-related Problems; A.Zielinska-Glebocka
European Security and Debt Finance in Poland; J.Sperling
The Role of the EU in Local and Regional Government; E.Kirchner
Index

EMIL J. KIRCHNER is Professor in Government and Jean Monnet Professor in European Political Integration at the University of Essex. He has published books on Germany, NATO, the EU and European security. They include The European Parliament: Performance and Prospects, Liberal Parties in Western Europe (editor), Decision-making in the European Community, The Federal Republic of Germany and NATO: Forty Years After (co-editor), The Future of European Security (co-editor). and Recasting the European Architectures and Economic Co-operation (co-author). He is also editor of the Journal of European Integration.