Comparative politics:
democratization
Lecture 1: what is democracy............................................................................. 2
Lecture 2: measuring democracy.......................................................................3
Lecture 3: colonial, authoritarian and democracy legacies.................................4
Lecture 4: Economic development......................................................................7
Lecture 5: political culture.................................................................................. 9
Lecture 6: State capacity.................................................................................. 11
Lecture 7: Power sharing vs power concentrating institutions..........................13
Lecture 8: presidentialism................................................................................15
Lecture 9: Political actors: Parties and media...................................................16
Lecture 10: civil society and civic space...........................................................18
Lecture 11: international actors........................................................................19
Lecture 12: authoritarian regimes....................................................................21
1 | Page
,Lecture 1: what is democracy
Democracy can mean different things to different people
- Rule of law/liberal democracy: negative freedom, rule of law
- Rule by the people: elections, pluralism, contestation
Democracy = There is rule of law and there is rule by the people in the country
(Van Ham, 2025).
Autocracy = There is either no rule of law or no rule by the people or neither in
the country (Van Ham, 2025).
Example of exam questions
Exam Essay Question: How does economic development lead to
democratisation?
Exam MP Question: Schmitter & Karl defined 6 dimensions of democracy, list
them
First wave of democratisation
- Curtailing the power of the monarch
- Proto-parliaments
- Constitutions
- Ended in inerbellum
Second wave of democratisation
- Decolonisation
- Ended in the cold war
- State capacity/nation building
third wave of democratisation
- Mid 70s
- Fall of southern European dictatorships
- USSR falls
- Hybrid regimes
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, Lecture 2: measuring democracy
What is democracy?
There are two dimensions of democracy
- Electoral: rule by the people
- Liberal: rule of law
What are states/regimes and governments
- State: and institution with sovereignty over a specified geographic region
with a monopoly on the use of violence. Ideally they guarantee a minimal
level of security for citizens, implement policies and deliver basic public
services
- Regime: rules governing the distribution of power and the relationships
between the agents of power. How one rules
- Governments: the leadership that runs the state
There are a lot of different states: Independent, colonies, ‘failed states’,
‘unrecognized’ states, occupied territories.
Electoral democracy (free and fair elections, but restrictions) and electoral
autocracy: hybrid regimes don’t have both rule by the people and rule of law.
Liberal democracy has both, non-electoral regimes have neither.
Definitions of democracy
There are three types of definitions
1. Minimal democracy: rule of the people. Popular decision making and
elections. If you have elections, you have democracy but they need to be
free, fair and honest
2. Expanded procedural democracy: its more than just elections. Its the
guarantee that make elections meaningful. The golden standard:
polyarchy (rule by the many).
I. Elected officials with control over government
II. Free and fair elections
III. Inclusive suffrage
IV. Freedom of expression
V. Associational autonomy
VI. Rule of law
3. Substantive definition: including desirable outcomes (like income equality)
Exam!(?):
- Test of data (conceptualization, operationalization, and data collection):
- Ideally 1 perfect measurement for the entire concept.
3 | Page
democratization
Lecture 1: what is democracy............................................................................. 2
Lecture 2: measuring democracy.......................................................................3
Lecture 3: colonial, authoritarian and democracy legacies.................................4
Lecture 4: Economic development......................................................................7
Lecture 5: political culture.................................................................................. 9
Lecture 6: State capacity.................................................................................. 11
Lecture 7: Power sharing vs power concentrating institutions..........................13
Lecture 8: presidentialism................................................................................15
Lecture 9: Political actors: Parties and media...................................................16
Lecture 10: civil society and civic space...........................................................18
Lecture 11: international actors........................................................................19
Lecture 12: authoritarian regimes....................................................................21
1 | Page
,Lecture 1: what is democracy
Democracy can mean different things to different people
- Rule of law/liberal democracy: negative freedom, rule of law
- Rule by the people: elections, pluralism, contestation
Democracy = There is rule of law and there is rule by the people in the country
(Van Ham, 2025).
Autocracy = There is either no rule of law or no rule by the people or neither in
the country (Van Ham, 2025).
Example of exam questions
Exam Essay Question: How does economic development lead to
democratisation?
Exam MP Question: Schmitter & Karl defined 6 dimensions of democracy, list
them
First wave of democratisation
- Curtailing the power of the monarch
- Proto-parliaments
- Constitutions
- Ended in inerbellum
Second wave of democratisation
- Decolonisation
- Ended in the cold war
- State capacity/nation building
third wave of democratisation
- Mid 70s
- Fall of southern European dictatorships
- USSR falls
- Hybrid regimes
2 | Page
, Lecture 2: measuring democracy
What is democracy?
There are two dimensions of democracy
- Electoral: rule by the people
- Liberal: rule of law
What are states/regimes and governments
- State: and institution with sovereignty over a specified geographic region
with a monopoly on the use of violence. Ideally they guarantee a minimal
level of security for citizens, implement policies and deliver basic public
services
- Regime: rules governing the distribution of power and the relationships
between the agents of power. How one rules
- Governments: the leadership that runs the state
There are a lot of different states: Independent, colonies, ‘failed states’,
‘unrecognized’ states, occupied territories.
Electoral democracy (free and fair elections, but restrictions) and electoral
autocracy: hybrid regimes don’t have both rule by the people and rule of law.
Liberal democracy has both, non-electoral regimes have neither.
Definitions of democracy
There are three types of definitions
1. Minimal democracy: rule of the people. Popular decision making and
elections. If you have elections, you have democracy but they need to be
free, fair and honest
2. Expanded procedural democracy: its more than just elections. Its the
guarantee that make elections meaningful. The golden standard:
polyarchy (rule by the many).
I. Elected officials with control over government
II. Free and fair elections
III. Inclusive suffrage
IV. Freedom of expression
V. Associational autonomy
VI. Rule of law
3. Substantive definition: including desirable outcomes (like income equality)
Exam!(?):
- Test of data (conceptualization, operationalization, and data collection):
- Ideally 1 perfect measurement for the entire concept.
3 | Page
