Vesselin Dimitrov is senior lecturer in the Department of Government at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Klaus H. Goetz is chair of government, faculty of economics and social sciences, University of Potsdam, Germany; and visiting fellow, European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science. Hellmut Wollmann is emeritus professor of public administration in the Institute of Social Sciences at Humboldt University, Berlin.

This comparative analysis explores the evolution of governance in Central and Eastern Europe. The book considers post-communist leaders' key challenge: the development of central government institutions capable of coordinating, integrating, and steering the policymaking process. Building on a broad range of primary sources and extensive field research, the distinguished authors analyze the processes and outcomes of institution-building in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria since the late 1980s. Through their in-depth analysis of the development of national executive institutions, they cast a distinctive new light on debates about EU enlargement, Europeanization, and patterns of governance.

Part 1 The Study of Postcommunist Executives Chapter 2 Core Executives after Communism Chapter 3 Executive Institutions and Policy: A Framework Analysis Part 4 Core Executive Trajectories in Four Countries Chapter 5 Hungary: A Core Supreme Chapter 6 Poland: A Core Ascendant? Chapter 7 Czech Republic: A Core Neglected Chapter 8 Bulgaria: A Core against the Odds Part 9 Comparative Assessments Chapter 10 Executive Trajectories Compared Chapter 11 Institutions and Their Effects: Budgetary and Policymaking Chapter 12 Domestic Institutions and European Governance