Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preliminary Material / G. Skapska -- Introduction: The Objectives Of This Book / G. Skapska -- Prologue: Between “Civil Society” And “Europe”: Round Tables In East Central Europe As Political And Legal Events / G. Skapska -- I. A Constitution As A Theory Of Society / G. Skapska -- II. Stalinist Constitutionalism / G. Skapska -- III. In Search Of A New Semantics: Discursive Resources Of Postcommunist Constitutionalism / G. Skapska -- IV. Settling Accounts With The Past And The Dilemmas Of The Law-Governed State / G. Skapska -- V. Dividing The Cake: The Constitutionalization Of Economic Order / G. Skapska -- Summing Up: Thirteen Theses On Postcommunist Constitutionalism / G. Skapska -- Appendix One. Election Particpation In Eastern Europe / G. Skapska -- Appendix Two. Satisfaction With Democracy In Eastern Europe / G. Skapska -- Appendix Three. Satisfaction With The Actually Realized Model Of Democracy In Particular Countries / G. Skapska -- Appendix Four. Comparison Of Evaluations Of Democracy And Market Economy In Action In Particular Countries / G. Skapska -- Bibliography / G. Skapska -- Index / G. Skapska.

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In East Central Europe, constitutionalism comprises an effort by postcommunist societies to consolidate around certain values, principles, and rules that would facilitate the formation of a new political architecture as well as a new political identity for their countries. Based primarily on the experience of Poland - in comparison with other East Central European countries - this book debates the specific features of postcommunist constitutionalism. The result is a theory of reflexive constitutionalism (informed by the sociological theory of reflexive modernization) which assesses critically the intellectual resources as well as the consolidating potential of the classic foundations of liberal democracy within the reality of postcommunist transformation.