Dr Anna Gwiazda will examine the quality of democracy in Poland from the collapse of communism in 1989 up to the 2011 parliamentary election. Drawing on democratic theory and comparative politics, she puts forward a framework for evaluating democracy based on four dimensions: representation, participation, competition and accountability, which she then applies to the case of Poland. The Polish case demonstrates that effective accountability, good representation and stable competition are vital for achieving a good quality democracy. Moreover, it shows useful lessons that can be learnt by democratic reformers in countries that are undergoing the transition to democracy or are aiming to consolidate their democratic systems.