Two experts on political parties from the University of Birmingham, David White, and CREES Director Tim Haughton, joined Blagovesta Cholova (ULB) on a panel discussion in Brussels entitled, Protest, Participation and the Patterns of Party Politics in Post-Communist Europe on 04 February 2014. 

Whilst Dr White focused on the structure of party politics in Russia, highlighting the limitations of existing conceptual frameworks, Ms Cholova shone a spotlight on the phenomenon of populism, particularly in Bulgarian party politics. Dr Haughton’s presentation outlined the framework for his current book project which seeks to explain the patterns of party politics across Central and Eastern Europe, particularly why some party systems are more stable than others.  

The seminar was the inaugural event in a series of joint events between Birmingham and ULB focusing on Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia which will take place in the next few years.