IRS 390 Democratization & Survival of Autocrats

Over the last forty years, the world has experienced waves of transitions to democracy from autocratic political regimes. While some several cases adopted hybrid forms of government, some others have achieved democratic consolidation. This course gives a broad overview of the literature explaining these different instances of democratization from a comparative perspective. Based on observational data, the course uncovers all different approaches on the causal inferences of democratization, such as the institutional, structural and actor-centered explanations.

The course is divided into three parts. The first part clarifies the various definitions and measurements of democracy and democratization. Distinguishing democratic transition from democratic consolidation, the second part analyzes paths of transitions to democracy, based on cases from different regions. The third part focuses on consolidation of democracy and identifies its various determinants comparing different contexts.

*New course code is effective as of Summer 2015. Old course code for this course was POL 348 and POS 360