Determinants of Democratization: Explaining Regime Change in the World, 1972-2006

by Jan Teorell

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521139687
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	10/28/2010
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	222
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Jan Teorell is Associate Professor of Political Science at Lund University. His most recent publications have appeared in Studies in Comparative International Development, the European Journal of Political Research, the Journal of Democracy, Governance, and Political Research Quarterly.

Table of Contents

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.

Editorial Reviews

The most systematic and comprehensive analysis of democracy’s Third Wave, integrating case studies and large-N cross-national comparisons. A major contribution to the field of democratization.”
–John Gerring, Boston University

“Determinants of Democratization is one of the most empirically ambitious, sweeping, and important books that has been written on democratization. It is a must-read for all scholars who work on democratic and authoritarian regimes.”
Scott Mainwaring, University of Notre Dame

"… there is no doubt that Teorell's book makes a major contribution to the already crowded field of democratization studies. The theoretical and empirical ground covered is breath-taking and in their combination with high methodological sophistication and various conceptual innovations, such as the intriguing operationalization of pathway cases and the distinction between upturns and downturn, are outstanding. His book should be considered a must-read for democratization and multi-method scholars alike."
Acta Politica

From the Publisher