Anna Grzymala-Busse Bücher

Sacred Foundations argues that the medieval church was a fundamental force in European state formation. Existing accounts focus on early modern warfare or contracts between the rulers and the ruled. In contrast, this major study shows that the Catholic Church both competed with medieval monarchs and provided critical templates for governing institutions, the rule of law, and parliaments. Bringing to light a wealth of historical evidence about papal conflict, excommunications, and ecclesiastical institutions, Sacred Foundations reveals how the challenge and example of powerful religious authorities gave rise to secular state institutions and galvanized state capacity.

The book explores the behavior of governing parties in post-communist democracies, focusing on their dual role in state reconstruction and resource extraction. It reveals how these parties, while exploiting state resources and delaying oversight, also established new institutions that enabled further extraction. Through case studies from several countries, the author demonstrates that even opportunistic parties can constrain their corrupt practices when confronted with robust political competition, offering insights into the dynamics of party politics in transitional states.

In some religious countries, churches have significant influence over constitutions, abortion laws, and education, while in others, their impact on public policy is minimal. This analysis explores how the fusion of religious and national identities grants churches substantial moral authority and covert access to institutions, allowing them to shape policy through private channels rather than democratic processes. By examining six Christian democracies—Ireland, Italy, Poland, Croatia, the United States, and Canada—Anna Grzymała-Busse reveals how churches affect issues like education, abortion, divorce, stem cell research, and same-sex marriage. She posits that churches gain political leverage by maintaining an appearance of being above politics, which helps preserve their moral authority and reputation as defenders of national interests. The book illustrates how church leaders in Ireland, Canada, and Poland have directly influenced legislation, vetoed policies, and vetted officials. It also highlights that mere religiosity does not guarantee political influence; for instance, churches in Italy and Croatia are less impactful than expected, while those allied with political parties in the U.S. wield less power than their reputation suggests.