Bringing democracy to a country near you: Determinants of democratization: Explaining regime change in the World: 1972-2006 [book review]
Publication Type
Book Review
Publication Date
1-2012
Abstract
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.
Discipline
Political Science
Research Areas
Political Science
Publication
International Studies Review
Volume
14
Issue
1
First Page
171
Last Page
173
ISSN
1521-9488
ISBN
9780521199063
Identifier
10.1111/j.1468-2486.2012.01098.x
Publisher
Wiley: 24 months / Oxford University Press (OUP): Policy F - Oxford Open Option D
Citation
JOSHI, Devin K..(2012). Bringing democracy to a country near you: Determinants of democratization: Explaining regime change in the World: 1972-2006 [book review]. International Studies Review, 14(1), 171-173.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2449
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2486.2012.01098.x