Anna Grzymala-Busse
Welcome to my home page. I am an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan. My research interests include political parties, state development and transformation, informal political institutions, religion and politics, and post-communist politics.
In my first book, I examined the paradox of the communist successor parties in East Central Europe: incompetent as authoritarian rulers of the communist party-state, several then succeeded as democratic competitors after the collapse of these communist regimes in 1989.
My new book investigates the role of political parties and party competition in the reconstruction of the post-communist state. Unless checked by a robust competition, democratic governing parties simultaneously rebuilt the state and ensured their own survival by building in enormous discretion into new state institutions.
My next project examines the variation in the "sacralization" of politics: the influence of organized religion on political debates and policy outcomes across developed and newer democracies.
Other areas of interest include informal institutions, the impact of European Union membership on domestic politics in new member countries, and the role of causal mechanisms in social science explanations.
This web page contains course syllabi, publications, curriculum vitae, and research links. Feel free to browse, and to contact me if you have any questions.