The Disengagement Trap: Political Participation in the Visegrád Area Thirty Years after the Transition

This dissertation examines the relationship between citizens and politics in the Visegrád area (Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland). Despite thirty years since the transition from "real socialism" to liberal democracy and fifteen since the EU's eastern enlargement, the V4 region has not seen convergence with Western Europe regarding the degree of political participation. Instead, the region is characterized by democratic backsliding, "illiberal" tendencies, and far-right populism. The primary objective of this study is to provide an in-depth examination of citizens' engagement in politics in the Visegrád region through the use of cross-national survey data. Western European countries, which served as a model for the region during the transition, are the benchmark for comparison. Through an examination of current political trends, the transition and post-transition period, the relationship between the different modes of participation, the determinants of participation, and the ability of political parties to mobilize citizens, this dissertation argues that a narrow space for political opportunities, high levels of inequality in participation, and a lack of mobilization by populist parties beyond elections characterize the Visegrád region. These circumstances fall under what I conceptualize as a "disengagement trap". Even if the political environment is formally open to people's engagement, active participation is hindered by factors discussed throughout the dissertation. Finally, the study contends that, rather than exhibiting a unique nature, the Visegrád region represents a "political laboratory" for observing tendencies that indicate a detachment of democracy from the core principle of citizen participation.