State-Formation and Democratization: A New Classification

by Thomas Denk, Sarah Lehtinen

Overview

This book examines the connection between two major developments in the world: state-formation and democratization. Since 1946, the number of states has increased from 66 to almost 200 independent states, but our knowledge of these state-formation processes is limited. The authors present a new database on state-formation and democratization, which enables novel classifications and analyses of these processes on the global level. They argue that the form of state-formation affects the probability for democratization in new states and that the initial regime that state-formation establishes at the time of independence has long-term effects on new states’ democratization.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030062910
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	01/03/2019
Series:	Challenges to Democracy in the 21st Century
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2019
Pages:	177
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.02(d)

About the Author

Thomas Denk is Chair Professor of Political Science at Örebro University, Sweden. His research focuses on democratization, political culture, state-formation, and political methodology.

Sarah Lehtinen is Research Analyst at the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (BRÅ) and former Researcher in Political Science at Åbo Akademi University, Finland. She has examined how political institutions during state-formations are developed and democratized, investigated the conditions of democratic diffusion, and developed quantitative databases.

Table of Contents

1: Introduction.- 2: A Comparative Framework of State-Formation.- 3: Paths to Independence.- 4: Paths to Independence and Democratization.- 5: The Legacy of Initial Regimes and Democratization in New States.- 6: Conclusion.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“The question how processes of state formation affect the creation of states has been surprisingly overlooked in the literature. This new book constitutes an important contribution in the field of research as it presents a coherent framework for analyzing processes of state formation. Denk and Lehtinen have compiled an impressive global data set, which contains valuable information about the conditions characterizing states at the time of their independence. The authors show that state formation characteristics play a vital role in explaining whether the initial regime of the newly independent state becomes democratic or not. In addition, prospects for democratic success or failure are highly dependent on the mode of the initial regime of the newly formed state. The book and its dataset will have a profound impact in the comparative study of state formation and democratization.” (Carsten Anckar, Professor of Political Science and Comparative Politics, Åbo Akademi University, Finland)

“In this comprehensive study, Thomas Denk and Sarah Lehtinen provide a systematic classification and a wide-ranging empirical test of the connection between state formation and democratization. The comparative approach is exemplary and sophisticated throughout and very well served by illustrative tables and figures. By creating and applying their new analytical framework on a dataset including 132 cases of state formation, Denk and Lehtinen’s study is indeed a major contribution to the democratization literature. This will certainly be a standard reference for future studies on state formation.” (Thomas Sedelius, Professor of Political Science, Dalarna University, Sweden)

Editorial Reviews

The book by Denk and Lehtinen is a new approach to the relation between state formation and democratization. It provides a well-designed argument to support a thesis that both analysed processes are linked, and utilizes clearly triangulated methods to show it. Many scholars will appreciate the study for its clarity and consistency – a valuable point of departure especially for more contextual and dynamic analyses of fundamental political processes in the times of global flux.” (Krzysztof Kasianiuk, Democratization, Vol. 27 (2), 2020)

From the Publisher