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The Blueprint for Democratization
Abstract
The chapter discusses the evolution of the current democratization research specifically as it projects a linear developmental paradigm (“The Blueprint”). The contemporary assumed trajectory is useful, albeit incomplete, as the concept of democratic purgatory is introduced as a late-stage breakdown of democracies through democratic means. Thus, the chapter outlines the historical assumptions as well as the contemporary scholastic expectations of democratization through a discussion of the “stages” of democratization, transition, and consolidation, and outlines the failures at each of these stages because of nondemocratic forces.
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The author assesses the main theories developed to account for and explain why and how authoritarian regimes give way to democratic ones. The book takes issue with the predominantly élite-centred focus of much of the literature, and illustrates how an understanding of democratization can be gained only if the role of civil society is taken into account.
A political scientist investigates the claim that the field of post-communist studies is and has been dominated by a transitology paradigm whose teleological biases lead to faulty analysis. Based on a comprehensive analysis of post-communist regime change studies published in 10 leading area studies and comparative politics journals between 1991 and 2003 as well as a broader review of the post-communist transition literature, this article seeks to clarify the terminological confusion that is a prominent feature of critiques of transitology and to examine the claim that a single mode of analysis dominates the study of post-communism.
Between 1974 and 1990 more than thirty countries in southern Europe, Latin America, East Asia, and Eastern Europe shifted from authoritarian to democratic systems of government. This global democratic revolution is probably the most important political trend in the late twentieth century. In The Third Wave,Samuel P. Huntington analyzes the causes and nature of these democratic transitions, evaluates the prospects for stability of the new democracies, and explores the possibility of more countries becoming democratic. The recent transitions, he argues, are the third major wave of democratization in the modem world. Each of the two previous waves was followed by a reverse wave in which some countries shifted back to authoritarian government. Using concrete examples, empirical evidence, and insightful analysis, Huntington provides neither a theory nor a history of the third wave, but an explanation of why and how it occurred. Factors responsible for the democratic trend include the legitimacy dilemmas of authoritarian regimes; economic and social development; the changed role of the Catholic Church; the impact of the United States, the European Community, and the Soviet Union; and the "snowballing" phenomenon: change in one country stimulating change in others. Five key elite groups within and outside the nondemocratic regime played roles in shaping the various ways democratization occurred. Compromise was key to all democratizations, and elections and nonviolent tactics also were central. New democracies must deal with the "torturer problem" and the "praetorian problem" and attempt to develop democratic values and processes. Disillusionment with democracy, Huntington argues, is necessary to consolidating democracy. He concludes the book with an analysis of the political, economic, and cultural factors that will decide whether or not the third wave continues. Several "Guidelines for Democratizers" offer specific, practical suggestions for initiating and carrying out reform. Huntington's emphasis on practical application makes this book a valuable tool for anyone engaged in the democratization process. At this volatile time in history, Huntington's assessment of the processes of democratization is indispensable to understanding the future of democracy in the world.
The quest for freedom from hunger and repression has triggered in recent years a dramatic, worldwide reform of political and economic systems. Never have so many people enjoyed, or at least experimented with democratic institutions. However, many strategies for economic development in Eastern Europe and Latin America have failed with the result that entire economic systems on both continents are being transformed. This major book analyzes recent transitions to democracy and market-oriented economic reforms in Eastern Europe and Latin America. Drawing in a quite distinctive way on models derived from political philosophy, economics, and game theory, Professor Przeworski also considers specific data on individual countries. Among the questions raised by the book are: What should we expect from these experiments in democracy and market economy? What new economic systems will emerge? Will these transitions result in new democracies or old dictatorships?
Political and Economic Reforms in Eastern Europe and Latin America
- Adam Przeworski
- Democracy
- Market
Adam Przeworski, Democracy, and the Market: Political and Economic
Reforms in Eastern Europe and Latin America. (New York: Cambridge UP,
1991), 71.
The Dynamics of Democratization, 69. The term "replacement" is also from Huntington
- Gill
Gill, The Dynamics of Democratization, 69. The term "replacement" is also
from Huntington (1991). Linz (2000) refers to this kind of transition as "ruptura."
The Third Wave, 138. Huntington refers to this as "backward legitimacy
- Huntington
Huntington, The Third Wave, 138. Huntington refers to this as "backward
legitimacy.".
Transitions to Democracy
- Rustow
Rustow, "Transitions to Democracy," 354.
The Breakdown, 8. Linz refers to these types as being either "stillborn" or "embattled new democracies
- Juan J Linz
Juan J. Linz, The Breakdown, 8. Linz refers to these types as being either
"stillborn" or "embattled new democracies."