Beschreibung

'What are the determinants of democratization? Do the factors that move countries toward democracy also help them refrain from backsliding toward autocracy? This book attempts to answer these questions through a combination of a statistical analysis of social, economic, and international determinants of regime change in 165 countries around the world in 1972 2006, and case study work on nine episodes of democratization occurring in Argentina, Bolivia, Hungary, Nepal, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, and Uruguay. The findings suggest that democracy is promoted by long-term structural forces such as economic prosperity, but also by peaceful popular uprisings and the institutional setup of authoritarian regimes. In the short-run, however, elite actors may play a key role, particularly through the importance of intra-regime splits. Jan Teorell argues that these results have important repercussions both for current theories of democratization and for the international community's effort in developing policies for democracy promotion. Why do some countries install free and fair elections and protect civil liberties, whereas others do not? This book provides an overview and assessment of the main theories of democratization in an effort to explain the wave of democratization that has swept the world over the last few decades.

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction; 1. Explaining democratization; 2. The shadow of the past: social determinants; 3. The power of prosperity: economic determinants; 4. The impetus from abroad: international determinants; 5. The force from below: popular mobilization; 6. Exogenous shocks and authoritarian regime types: institutional contingency; 7. Conclusions; Appendix A. Data and variable definitions; Appendix B. Statistical model; Appendix C. Robustness tests; Appendix D. The pathway criterion.

Klappentext

A new explanation of the wave of democratization that has swept the world over the last few decades.