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Understanding Democratic Transitions

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Title: Understanding Democratic Transitions


1
Understanding Democratic Transitions
2
Outline
  • 1- Understanding democratic transitions
  • 2- Typology of transitions
  • 3- Prerequisites and conditions

3
Democratic Transitions
  • 1- Conceptual issues
  • 2- Explaining transition
  • 3- Problems of transition

4
1- Conceptual Issues
  • Transition ? transition from authoritarian rule
  • regime ? formal informal structure of
    governmental roles processes

5
  • ? distinguish b/w regime Govt 3 Q
  • 1- methods of inauguration?
  • 2- formal informal representative mechanisms?
  • 3- patterns of coercion?

6
  • Authoritarian ? a system with significant
    procedural proscriptions on political
    contestation or inclusiveness
  • Democracy ? an essentially contested concept
  • Robert Dhal ? polyarchy

7
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8
  • Liberalisation ?
  • easing of repression
  • restoration of civil liberties ? part of a
    process
  • ? liberalisation precedes democratisation

9
  • Democratisation ? creation of institutions
    procedures that allow for all 3 aspects of Dahls
    polyarchy
  • Huntington (The Third Wave)
  • Democratisation ? alternation of power

10
2- Explaining Transition
  • Complex term variety of meanings
  • 1- erosion of authoritarianism
  • 2- conditions for democratic transitions
  • 3- process of democratic regime change
  • 4- consolidation of new democracies
  • 5-consolidation of established democracies

11
  • Concern ? two decades of inquiry
  • Two issues
  • 1- difficulties of dealing with democratic rule
  • 2- the nature causes of its breakdown
  • ? context of inquiry

12
  • I. Mid-1960s-early 1970s breakdown of democratic
    rule in developing nations (e.g. Argentina,
    Brazil, Chile, Uruguay)
  • Scholarly attention ? international constraints
    obstructing democracy (e.g. dependency)
    internal external forms of political economic
    domination

13
  • II. Early to late 1970s
  • renewed interest in democratisation (e.g.
    Portugal, Spain, Greece)

14
  • III. Late 1980s-early 1990s
  • a) democratising trends in long-authoritarian
    regimes (El Salvador, S/Korea, Guatemala
  • b) breakdown of communism (E. Europe)

15
3- Problems of Transition
  • 1- defining chronological parameters of T
  • Three Questions
  • Does it have its roots within the process of
    transformation of an authoritarian R?
  • Does it begin after the fall of such R?
  • How do you account for reverses?

16
  • 2- Difficulty of defining its end point
  • Two Questions
  • When democratic procedures, rights and rules of
    the game have been clearly defined and accepted
    by elites and citizens?
  • Is it complete with the first alternation of
    power?

17
Typology of Transitions
18
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19
Prerequisites Conditions
  • Diverse explanations
  • Example Lipset Hypothesis
  • Some Social Requisites of Democracy Economic
    Development Political Legitimacy, American
    Political Science Review 53 (1959), pp. 69-105.

20
  • Dhal agrees ? economic development expands the
    range of people with capacities to get involved
    politically
  • A modern dynamic pluralist society disperses
    power, influence, authority and control away from
    any single centre toward a variety of
    individuals, groups, associations and
    organisations

21
  • R. Dhal, Democracy and its Critics (New Haven
    Yale University Press, 1989), p. 252.

22
  • Lipset ? High level of economic development is a
    precondition for building and maintaining
    democracy
  • Inquiry focus pinpoint causes
  • International system, class structure, economic
    performance, political institutions

23
  • New Writings on democracy ? pay attention to the
    warning of Dankwart Rustow ?
  • Draws attention to correlation not cause
  • Stresses that there is no single road to
    democracy history, context
  • Transitions to Democracy, Comparative Politics
    2 (1970)

24
Tutorial
  • 1- Divide in two or three groups
  • 2- List what you consider to be essential
    prerequisites for democratic transition
  • 3- Think about culture external variables
  • 4- Apply these requisites to the Middle East in
    your next tutorial
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