Comparative Politics: Democratization
Preliminary Definitions
State = An entity that successfully claims a monopoly on the legitimate use of force
within a specified territory.
Both what one rules with as well as the institutions used to rule the territory.
Regime = The rules governing the distribution of power and the relationship between the
agents of power.
Government = The leadership that runs the state.
The state is what one rules, regimes are how one rules and government is the group of
individuals who rule. In autocracies, state, regime and government are more fused together.
Nation = A large body of people united by common descent, history, culture or language,
inhabiting a particular state or territory.
Ethnic group = A community or population made up of people who share a common cultural
background or descent.
Democratization
Democratic transition = The transition of a political regime from autocracy into democracy.
Democratic stabilization/consolidation = The stabilization of the new democratic regime,
once a transition to democracy has happened.
Democratic Deepening = The process of gradual improvement in the quality of democracy,
once it is stable.
Causes of Democratization
Long-term causes
■ Colonial & Authoritarian Past
○ Types of Transitions:
₋ Violent vs. non-violent
₋ Pacted vs. rupture
₋ Imposed (external) vs. indigenous (internal)
₋ Clear-cut vs. protracted
Where pacted, non-violent, indigenous transitions have proven to be most
effective.
○ Colonial History:
₋ Colonial legacy: The institutions of the prior rulers are often adopted in
the newly independent, decolonised, nations.
₋ Settler colonies vs. extraction colonies: Settler colonies often have
institutions in place that can be adopted by the new nations. Extraction
colonies often leave predatory states, where the elites reap all the
benefits that the nation has to give.
₋ Population density: Citizens of sparsely populated colonies often
obtained democratic concessions in exchange for their labour. While
, citizens in densely populated colonies, due to an abundant labour pool
to draw from, were often subject to slavery and forced labour.
■ Economic Development
○ Economic growth affects (democratic) transition but is less impactful on
stabilization.
○ Economic crises destabilize both democratic and autocratic regimes.
○ Economic development stabilizes both democratic and autocratic regimes:
₋ Democracies are stabilized due to citizens having both the ability and
resources to challenge their oppressive rulers or to demand more
democratic concessions. Whereas poor citizens are preoccupied with
survival.
₋ Autocracies are stabilized due to citizens being appeased through the
public services that can be provided through a healthy economy.
○ Economic inequality
₋ Instability in both democratic and autocratic regimes is increased, as
the deprivation of the populace leads to protests and regime change.
₋ Stability in autocracies may be increased, as it becomes easier for the
elite to oppress the populace, and because the elites fear the
distribution effects of democracy.
○ Resource curse stabilizes autocratic regimes:
₋ Elite enrichment can be facilitated through the resources within the
territories.
₋ State income can be generated independent from the citizens.
■ Social Heterogeneity
■ Geography & Resources
Intermediate causes
■ Power-Sharing vs. Power-Concentrating Institutions
■ Presidentialism
■ Electoral System
■ Institutional Checks and Balances
Proximate causes
■ Political Actors (Incumbents and Opposition)
■ Media and Civil Society
■ Events (Crises)
Political Culture
Political Culture = Those cultural values that are relevant for understanding our political
attitudes and behaviour.
Congruence Theory = The idea that political regimes only stabilize if their authority patterns
match the authority beliefs of a population.
Political regimes and their stability are therefore underpinned by political culture.
Preliminary Definitions
State = An entity that successfully claims a monopoly on the legitimate use of force
within a specified territory.
Both what one rules with as well as the institutions used to rule the territory.
Regime = The rules governing the distribution of power and the relationship between the
agents of power.
Government = The leadership that runs the state.
The state is what one rules, regimes are how one rules and government is the group of
individuals who rule. In autocracies, state, regime and government are more fused together.
Nation = A large body of people united by common descent, history, culture or language,
inhabiting a particular state or territory.
Ethnic group = A community or population made up of people who share a common cultural
background or descent.
Democratization
Democratic transition = The transition of a political regime from autocracy into democracy.
Democratic stabilization/consolidation = The stabilization of the new democratic regime,
once a transition to democracy has happened.
Democratic Deepening = The process of gradual improvement in the quality of democracy,
once it is stable.
Causes of Democratization
Long-term causes
■ Colonial & Authoritarian Past
○ Types of Transitions:
₋ Violent vs. non-violent
₋ Pacted vs. rupture
₋ Imposed (external) vs. indigenous (internal)
₋ Clear-cut vs. protracted
Where pacted, non-violent, indigenous transitions have proven to be most
effective.
○ Colonial History:
₋ Colonial legacy: The institutions of the prior rulers are often adopted in
the newly independent, decolonised, nations.
₋ Settler colonies vs. extraction colonies: Settler colonies often have
institutions in place that can be adopted by the new nations. Extraction
colonies often leave predatory states, where the elites reap all the
benefits that the nation has to give.
₋ Population density: Citizens of sparsely populated colonies often
obtained democratic concessions in exchange for their labour. While
, citizens in densely populated colonies, due to an abundant labour pool
to draw from, were often subject to slavery and forced labour.
■ Economic Development
○ Economic growth affects (democratic) transition but is less impactful on
stabilization.
○ Economic crises destabilize both democratic and autocratic regimes.
○ Economic development stabilizes both democratic and autocratic regimes:
₋ Democracies are stabilized due to citizens having both the ability and
resources to challenge their oppressive rulers or to demand more
democratic concessions. Whereas poor citizens are preoccupied with
survival.
₋ Autocracies are stabilized due to citizens being appeased through the
public services that can be provided through a healthy economy.
○ Economic inequality
₋ Instability in both democratic and autocratic regimes is increased, as
the deprivation of the populace leads to protests and regime change.
₋ Stability in autocracies may be increased, as it becomes easier for the
elite to oppress the populace, and because the elites fear the
distribution effects of democracy.
○ Resource curse stabilizes autocratic regimes:
₋ Elite enrichment can be facilitated through the resources within the
territories.
₋ State income can be generated independent from the citizens.
■ Social Heterogeneity
■ Geography & Resources
Intermediate causes
■ Power-Sharing vs. Power-Concentrating Institutions
■ Presidentialism
■ Electoral System
■ Institutional Checks and Balances
Proximate causes
■ Political Actors (Incumbents and Opposition)
■ Media and Civil Society
■ Events (Crises)
Political Culture
Political Culture = Those cultural values that are relevant for understanding our political
attitudes and behaviour.
Congruence Theory = The idea that political regimes only stabilize if their authority patterns
match the authority beliefs of a population.
Political regimes and their stability are therefore underpinned by political culture.
