Elite Intellectuals, Political Discourse and Public Opinion in Post-Communist Societies (Research Brief)

The dynamic and dialectical relationship between public opinion and official discourse in post-Communist societies is a theoretically important, but an understudied topic. To date there is no comprehensive and comparative study of this relationship. Rather than updating previous findings or reconciling conflicting accounts, my study analyzes a previously unexamined relationship from a cross-cultural perspective. The findings of this research will be of interest to those in political science and political sociology who study intellectuals, political discourse, public opinion, and democratic transitions and consolidation.

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Ekaterina M. Levintova, of Western Michigan University, was a 2001-02 Individual Advanced Research Opportunities (IARO) fellow.