The Impact of Government Policies on Educational Outcomes in Postсommunist Eastern European Countries

The paper examines the relationship between models of state policies in post-Communist political regimes and the level of development of national educational systems. Using the systematization of existing scientific knowledge on this topic and the analysis of new databases and cases, the theoretical and empirical mechanisms that can link the two variables under study are identified and justified. To analyze the main factors affecting this relationship, quantitative and qualitative methods were used to prove the assumptions made. Thirty years have passed since the countries of Eastern Europe emerged from Communist influence. During this period, political science has developed a direction that studies the causes and factors of changes in these countries. Now researchers have a real opportunity not only to put an end to many problems related to regime transformations in post-Communist countries, but also to put forward practical recommendations for improving national educational systems. Based on the results of database analysis, a preliminary conclusion is made that there is a link between the political regime and the level of education. Thus, the paper consistently defends the position that the quality of national educational systems depends on the level of democratization. The presented work contributes to the understanding of the thesis why, despite the growing level of democratization in Eastern Europe, not all countries have been able to improve their education systems.