BAUEROVÁ, Helena. Bosna a Hercegovina jako konsociační demokracie: Analýza aplikovatelnosti Lijphartova modelu.

1st ed. Prague: Metropolitan University Prague Press, 2013. 149 s. ISBN 978-80-86855-98-1

This book Bosnia and Herzegovina as a consociational democracy. The analysis of Lijphart model  is divided into two main parts. The first, theoretical, part introduces concept of both the consociational democracy by the Dutch theorist Arendt Lijphart. The attention is paid to the theory and its features (a role of elites in the political system, society segmentation, establishment of large coalitions, application of the proportionality principle and minority veto) and their applicability in practice. The theoretical concept is connected by conclusions of other theorists who, similarly to Lijphart, studied small states in Western Europe and formed a collection of terms (such as concordance democracy, contractual democracy etc.), which refer to the same type of the political system. The theoretical part introduces typical examples of the consociational democracy in Switzerland and Netherlands.

The second, part hereof analyses functioning Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the state there were consociational democracy principles implemented through peace agreement (Dayton Peace Agreement). Separate chapters introduce the constitutional set-up of the political system and partial manifestations of consocialism. Specific attention is paid to a role of the international community, which the original concept of the consociational democracy did not take into account. The final analysis compares partial manifestations of consocialism in case study.

The main objective of the book is to search for the conditions of the consociational democracy to be installed in order to ensure functioning of the political system in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The fundamental premise hereof is the hypotheses assuming that the consociational democracy concept may be transferred to regions outside Western Europe; the consociational democracy is an instrument assisting with establishment of a political system in order to enable formation of such customs and practices, which shall ensure functioning of a vital political system in the future. The thesis aims to reply to research questions: Is it possible to implement the consociational democracy from the outside? Is the state’s aim to integrate in the structures of the European Union a prerequisite for formation and enhancement of the political system?