Books in the Democratization and Autocratization Studies series

This edited volume brings together critical insights that address the multifaceted problems of governance and democracy in the developing regions with specific reference to Africa. It explores both the externally prescribed and home-grown governance initiatives geared toward democracy and development, and suggests alternative strategies to improve the processes and institutions of governance. The chapters in the book deal with major concerns related to governance, including the strengths and limits of existing policies and practices and the structure and role of state and non-state institutions in promoting democracy and participation.

Exploring the nature of the Internet's impact on civil society, this volume addresses many questions and draws on contemporary research.

Explores the nature of the Internet's impact on civil society, addressing such questions as: Is the Internet qualitatively different from the more traditional forms of the media? Does the Internet pose a threat to the coherence of civil society as people are encouraged to abandon shared media experiences and pursue narrow interests?

Brings together leading international scholars to assess the claim that democratization around the world is facing a serious challenge and features in-depth studies on US democracy promotion, the Middle East, Russia, China and new democracies.

Why are some regimes democratic while others are not? Specifically, how have Spain and Italy managed to become democratic while Turkey, which shares many similar characteristics, has not? Providing a comparative case study analysis, this book offers some clues as to the reasons for successful transitions to democracy.

The essays in this volume analyse differing aspects of the complex relationship between the media and democracy in a diverse range of national contexts.

The essays in this volume analyse differing aspects of the complex relationship between the media and democracy in a diverse range of national contexts.

This collection examines the nature, scope and prospects for political opposition under African National Congress political dominance.

This book examines the state of democratisation theory and practice that reopens and revives the democratic transition debate, exploring the factors that lead to the demise of autocracy, the pathways and processes of change, and the choice for an eventual consolidation of democracy. The essays, written by international democratisation specialists, tackle the series of questions raised by a body of literature that remains highly useful to understand contemporary political turbulence and transformation, considering numerous crucial issues.

This study gives examples of how the Internet is creating new political communities at various levels, both in democracies and authoritarian regimes.

Using new areas of research, this book argues that the ideals and the practices of Anglo-American democracy can be best understood by studying diverse forms of participation, which go beyond classical expressions of contestation and dissent such as voting. The authors analyze political parties, social movements, communications and social media, governance, cultural diversity, identity politics, public-private actors and social cohesion to illustrate how the structure and context of popular participation play a significant role in whether, and when, citizens¿ efforts have any meaningful impact on those who exercise political power. In doing so, the authors take crucial steps towards understanding how a vigorous public sphere and popular sovereignty can be made to work in today¿s global environment.

Many new democracies are characterized by majority dominance and ethnocentrism. Varying paths or transitions toward democracy create very different outcomes for how ethnic identities, communities and politics are recognized. This book illustrates the varied consequences of democratization, from ethnic violence, new forms of accommodation to improve minorities¿ status, or sometimes only minor improvements to life for ethnic minorities.

This book brings together the conceptual and theoretical writings of Joseph Schumpeter, Robert A. Dahl, Guillermo O'Donnell, and T. H. Marshall. It demonstrates that most of the different conceptions of democracy in the democratization literature can be ordered in one systematic regime typology that distinguishes between 'thinner' and 'thicker' definitions of democracy.The authors argue that the empirical pattern revealed by this typology is explained by the combination of internal structural constraints and international factors facilitating democracy. The result of such contending forces is that most of the democratizations in recent decades have only produced competitive elections, rather than 'more demanding' attributes of democracy such as political liberties, the rule of law, and social rights.Examining theoretical and empirical approaches to measuring, defining and understanding democracy, the book will be of interest to scholars of political theory and comparative politics in general and democratization studies in particular.

Though scholarly attention to democracy promotion is increasing, there is still little comparative and theoretically-based work on the protagonists of democracy promotion. This book investigates the motives that drive democracy promotion in a comparative and theoretically oriented manner, exploring how democracy promoters deal with conflicting objectives and the factors that shape their behaviour.

Investigates US foreign policy and tests the hypothesis that US government transition-inspired democracy promotion can successfully establish liberal democracy around the world. This title features two case studies that explore political liberalisation in Bosnia and Afghanistan.

This examination of how Western governments support democracy worldwide considers how countries use this aid.

Explores the relationship between the concepts of democracy and civil society through a comparison of their meaning and function in different historical and cultural contexts. This volume presents contextual studies in Europe, North America, Japan, Russia and Turkey.

This examination of how Western governments support democracy worldwide considers how countries use this aid.

This book examines the attempts of one group of young democracies, from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), to channel this pro-democracy agenda into both national and European foreign policy and development support. It looks at how CEE is `upstream¿ changing the EU on crucial policy issues as part of the common foreign and security policy. Furthermore, it tracks the process whereby imported ideas and norms are recycled for further export `downstream¿, and how these concepts are received in countries outside of the EU including the post-Soviet space, the Western Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa region and Central Asia.

Explores the contention that fresh challenges have arisen to democratization and assesses the claim that democratization around the world is facing a serious challenge. This book examines the issues relating to developments within non-democratic states and issues related to the democratic world and its efforts to support the spread of democracy.