Lecture at Lingnan University

Minister Pusić met with top officials of Lingnan University, with whom she discussed the importance of education for the overall development of state and society

Minister Pusić met with top officials of Lingnan University, with whom she discussed the importance of education for the overall development of state and society. Speaking about the models of political transition in Europe, Pusić said that “in order to build the institutional structure of a state, one must have knowledge of sociology and sociological theories, political cultures and so on, with crucial understanding of the logic of transition,” adding that not all transitions were equal or equally dramatic – for instance, the transition of Portugal and Spain in the ‘70s is not the same as that of the Eastern European countries in the late ‘80s. Pusić also recalled that tomorrow, 9 November, marked the 24^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The transitions of these countries can be divided, generally speaking, into northern and southern types. The first one saw peaceful and non-violent transitions, agreed upon among civil movement and regime leaders.

The second one, on the other hand, caught the countries unprepared, with no alternative political elites of leaders, so when the transitions started there was no one to take over the institutions and carry on. The transition was violent, and in our case erupted into a war.

There are three aspects of transition – economic, political and social. The country is transitioning from planned to market economy, from one- to multiparty system, and from a single-nation to multiethnic and multicultural society. What is crucial is the consolidation of new democracies and building of state institutions, said Pusić.

The lecture was attended by the university’s top officials, professors and numerous senior students. 

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