A review of After 1989: Morals, Revolution, and Civil Society, by Ralf Dahrendorf.
About the Author
João Carlos Espada is the founder and director of the Institute for Political Studies at the Catholic University of Portugal. From 2011 to 2013, he held the European Parliament/Bronisław Geremek European Civilisation Chair at the College of Europe, Natolin (Warsaw).
Is politics an arena without rules? No, and, increasingly, many are enshrined in constitutions. But countries that hardwire their political process into their founding charters face other risks.
The failure to establish modern, well-governed states has been the Achilles heel of recent democratic transitions, as democratization without state modernization can actually lower the quality of governance.
