Vice-chair (2008-2010)
Leslie Anderson
University of Florida Research Professor in Political Science
University of Florida
e-mail: landerso@polisci.ufl.edu
Secretary (2008-2010)
Jose Antonio Cheibub
Professor of Political Science
University of Illinois
e-mail: cheibub@ad.uiuc.edu
Treasurer (2009-2011)
Juliet Johnson
Associate Professor of Political Science
McGill University
e-mail: juliet.johnson@mcgill.ca
Newsletter Editor (ex officio)
Diego Abente
Deputy Director
International Forum for Democratic Studies
National Endowment for Democracy
e-mail: diegoa@ned.org
Associate Newsletter Editor (ex officio)
Melissa Aten
Research and Conferences Officer
International Forum for Democratic Studies
National Endowment for Democracy
e-mail: MelissaA@ned.org
Dear Colleagues,
Leslie E. Anderson, professor of political science, University of Florida, published “The Problem of Single-Party Predominance in an Unconsolidated Democracy: The Example of Argentina” in the December 2009 Perspectives on Politics. By contrasting the experiences of Argentina under Peronism with that of the southern U.S. and the Democratic Party in the 1940s, the article examines predominant party systems and their effects on democratic developments in both more established and young democracies. The comparison reveals that predominant parties work within a fully established democracy but can curtail development in less experienced democracies.
Call for Syllabi:
I have the pleasure to announce that with the first issue of the next academic year (2010–11), our section newsletter will be significantly expanded to include substantive articles on democratization and regime change. Based on the decisions taken at the APSA annual meetings in Toronto, we issued a call for proposals in the fall. The committee, headed by me, unanimously selected the proposal submitted by Michael Bernhard, Ehrlich Professor of Political Science, University of Florida.
For the new editorial tasks, Bernhard will be assisted by the following departmental colleagues:
Petia Kostadinova, assistant professor of political science, and associate director, Center for European Studies;
Staffan I. Lindberg, assistant professor of political science and Center for African Studies;
Bryon Moraski, associate professor of political science;
Conor O’Dwyer, assistant professor of political science and Center for European Studies;
Benjamin Smith, associate professor and associate chair of political science;
Philip Williams, professor of political science, and director of the Center for Latin American Studies
This editorial collective is notable for its methodological pluralism and geographical reach, something we ardently desired. The collective will be assisted by a graduate student, funded by Bernhard’s department. A younger scholar will thus get early exposure to professional norms and editorial skills.
In selecting Bernhard’s proposal, we consciously embraced APSA-CP, the newsletter of the Comparative Politics organized section, as our model. Headquartered at the University of Notre Dame for the last several years, APSA-CP has published articles that have been an important part of subfield debates and have, as a consequence, become part of graduate and undergraduate syllabi. (A similar statement, incidentally, can be made about the newsletter of yet another organized section, Qualitative and Multi-Methods Research.)
Our newsletter currently has roughly 5000 words, dedicated to news and announcements. We are very grateful to the National Endowment of Democracy, especially Diego Abente and Melissa Aten, for keeping us well informed about the achievements of our section colleagues, alerting us to publications in the subfield, and calling our attention to various professional opportunities. As per our agreement, and thankfully for all of us, NED will continue to perform these tasks.
In addition, we will have another 10,000 words added to our newsletter. The Bernhard-led team will commission articles on matters of subfield interest, solicit book reviews, and critically appraise article submissions, or suggestions for articles, from our colleagues. Our hope is that the articles appearing in our newsletter will begin to shape professional debates on democratization and regime change.
In short, our expanded newsletter will have two distinct parts: substantive articles, and news and announcements. We think that is a good way to organize our professional life and we hope that this new development will take our section intellectually forward.
Sincerely,
Ashu Varshney
Brown University
Leslie Elliott Armijo, visiting scholar at the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government, Portland State University, and Sean W. Burges, published “Brazil, the Democratic and Entrepreneurial BRIC” in the January 2010 Polity, a special theme issue on “Challengers or Stakeholders? BRICs and the Liberal World,” edited by Cynthia Roberts. The paper suggests that Brazil’s domestic democratic politics strongly shape its attitudes toward international relations, particularly its participation in global economic governance as one of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China).
Ms. Armijo and Carlos Gervasoni, Ph.D. candidate in political science, University of Notre Dame, published “Two Dimensions of Democracy and the Economy” in the February 2010 Democratization, in which the authors employ a Dahlian framework, and both qualitative and quantitative analysis, to demonstrate that increases in both democratic contestation (open political competition) and substantive democratic inclusion (wide citizen participation in meaningful elections) tend to reduce the number of severe economic crises experienced by a society.
Michael Coppedge was recently promoted to professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. He was also appointed chair of an APSA Task Force on indicators of democracy and governance, which will present its report at the 2010 APSA annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Zachary Elkins, assistant professor of government, University of Texas at Austin, Tom Ginsburg, and James Melton published The Endurance of National Constitutions (Cambridge University Press) in October 2009. Using an original set of cross-national historical data, the authors present the first comprehensive study of constitutional mortality that reveals “whereas constitutions are imperiled by social and political crises, certain aspects of a constitution’s design can lower the risk of [its] death substantially,” thus stressing the importance of decisions made by the document’s founders.
Miriam Fendius Elman, associate professor of political science and director of the Project on Democracy in the Middle East at the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, Syracuse University, contributed a chapter on “Deciding Democracy: External Security Threats and Domestic Regime Choices” to Existential Threats and Civil Security Relations, edited by Oren Barak and Gabi Sheffer and published by Rowman and Littlefield in August 2009.
Ms. Elman also recently received two multi-year grants. The first, awarded along with Mehrzad Boroujerdi by the U.S. Department of Education’s Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Languages Program, is for a project on “Strengthening Middle Eastern Studies at Syracuse University: An Interdisciplinary Approach,” while the second, awarded by the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs at Syracuse, funds a project on “Democracy in the Middle East.”
Omar G. Encarnación, professor and department chair of political studies, Bard College, published a 2009 Working Paper on “Crusader America: Democratic Imperialism under Wilson and Bush” for the Ben Franklin Institute of North American Studies at the Alcala de Henares University in Spain, in which he discusses the common philosophical rationales underpinning the American interventions in Latin American under the Woodrow Wilson administration and the occupation of Iraq during the George W. Bush administration.
Tiago Fernandes, Kellogg Institute for International Studies Fellow, University of Notre Dame, won the Portuguese-based Gulbenkian Foundation Best Article Award for his work on “Authoritarian Regimes and Pro-Democracy Semi-Oppositions: The End of the Portuguese Dictatorship (1968–1974),” which appeared in the August 2007 Democratization. The award distinguished the best article published by young Portuguese social scientists in all social science fields (except economics) during 2007–2009.
Clark C. Gibson, professor and department chair of political science and director of the international studies program, University of California at San Diego, and James Long published “The Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Kenya, December 2007” in the September 2009 Electoral Studies, in which the authors provide an overview of Kenya’s electoral system in light of the 2007 presidential and parliamentary elections. They also discuss the main contenders’ electoral campaigns, the election results, the voting behavior of the electorate, and the elections’ aftermath and implications for the future.
Bonnie N. Field, assistant professor of global studies, Bentley University, edited the December 2009 special issue of South European Society & Politics on “Spain’s ‘Second Transition’? The Socialist Government of José Rodríguez Zapatero,” which evaluates the degree to which developments during the Zapatero government amount to a second transition that alters or revisits policies, institutional arrangements, and political strategies that were established during Spain’s transition to democracy in the mid-1970s. Ms. Field also contributed two articles to the issue: “Minority Government and Legislative Politics in a Multilevel State” and “A ‘Second Transition’? Policy Institutions and Interparty Politics under Zapatero (2004–2008).”
James L. Gibson, Sidney W. Souers Professor of Government and professor of African and African American Studies, Washington University in St. Louis, and Professor Extraordinary in Political Science, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, published “Land Redistribution/Restitution in South Africa: A Model of Multiple Values, as the Past Meets the Present” in the January 2009 British Journal of Political Science. The study examines the role of symbolic justice, in contrast to egocentric instrumentalism, in producing support for redistributive land policies in contemporary South Africa, and concludes that land is an example of historical injustices colliding with demands for contemporary fairness.
Mr. Gibson also published “On Legitimacy Theory and the Effectiveness of Truth Commissions” in the Spring 2009 Law and Contemporary Problems. Based on his research on the truth and reconciliation process in South Africa, the author applies legitimacy theory to truth commissions, arguing that only commissions viewed as legitimate by ordinary people can serve as institutions of persuasive mass communications.
Elliott Green, Development Studies Institute fellow, London School of Economics, published “Patronage, District Creation, and Reform in Uganda” in the March 2010 Studies in Comparative International Development, in which he examines the link between structural adjustment programs and the pervasiveness of patronage. Using qualitative and quantitative analysis, Mr. Green analyzes the large increase in the number of districts created in Uganda during a period of large-scale economic and political reforms to show that “the creation of new sub-national political units can constitute a form of patronage and suggests that similar processes may be currently taking place across Africa.”
Effective in Fall 2010, Kenneth Greene will serve as an associate professor (with tenure) of government at the University of Texas at Austin. In May 2010, Mr. Greene was awarded the Liberal Arts Council Teaching Award for his “outstanding commitment to students both within and beyond the classroom."
Mr. Greene recently contributed two chapters (“Images and Issues in Mexico’s 2006 Presidential Election” and “The Absence of Common Ground between Candidates and Voters”) to Consolidating Mexico’s Democracy: The 2006 Presidential Campaign in Comparative Perspective, edited by Jorge Domínguez, Chappell Lawson, and Alejandro Moreno and published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2009. His article on “The Political Economy of Single-Party Dominance” will be published in the September 2010 Comparative Political Studies and is available online now at http://cps.sagepub.com/pap.dtl.
Mary Alice Haddad, assistant professor of government and East Asian studies, Wesleyan University, published “From Undemocratic to Democratic Civil Society: Japan’s Volunteer Fire Departments” in the February 2010 Journal of Asian Studies. The article examines how undemocratic civic organizations become compatible with democratic civil society through a case study of volunteer fire departments in Japan, which transformed from “centralized war instruments of an authoritarian regime to local community safety organizations of a full-fledged democracy.”
Laura A. Henry, assistant professor of government and legal studies, Bowdoin College, published “Redefining Citizenship in Russia: Political and Social Rights” in the November–December 2009 Problems of Post-Communism, in which she examines the impact of the global financial crisis on the new models of citizenship Putin and Medvedev have created while reforming the welfare state. Her book, Red to Green: Environmental Activism in Post-Soviet Russia (Cornell University Press), will be available in March 2010.
Marc Morjé Howard's book, The Politics of Citizenship in Europe (Cambridge University Press, 2009) is the co-winner of the 2010 ENMISA Distinguished Book Award, presented by the Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Migration organized section of the International Studies Association. Mr. Howard is associate professor of government at Georgetown University.
Staffan I. Lindberg, assistant professor of political science, University of Florida, published “What Accountability Pressures Do MPs in Africa Face and How Do They Respond? Evidence from Ghana” in the March 2010 Journal of Modern African Studies, in which he examines the role of institutions in fostering clientelism. Using the institution of the office of Member of Parliament in Ghana as a case study, Mr. Lindberg finds that although the institution itself is strong, it is shaped by informal norms in ways that favor the provision of private goods in clientelistic networks.
Mr. Lindberg and Keith R. Weghorst also published a December 2009 Working Paper on “The Role of Private and Collective Goods in Elections: Evidence from Ghana” for the Overseas Development Institute’s African Power and Politics program. Finally, Mr. Lindberg published a January 2009 Working Paper on “Byzantine Complexity: Making Sense of Accountability” for the International Political Science Association’s Committee on Concepts and Methods.
Leiv Marsteintredet, Ph.D. research fellow in comparative politics, University of Bergen, Norway, and Mariana Llanos edited Presidential Breakdowns in Latin America: Causes and Outcomes of Executive Instability in Developing Democracies. The volume is “the first comprehensive analysis of a new type of executive instability without regime instability in Latin America” and includes two comparative chapters that analyze the causes, procedures, and outcomes of presidential breakdowns in a regional perspective and case studies of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.
Monika Nalepa, assistant professor of political science, University of Notre Dame, published Skeletons in the Closet: Transitional Justice in Post-Communist Europe (Cambridge University Press), in which the author tackles three questions of pacted transitions to democracy: why do autocrats step down from power if they know they may be held accountable for their regime’s actions; when does the opposition refrain from punishing the former autocrats once the transition is over; and why, in some countries, does transitional justice get adopted when successors of former communists hold parliamentary majorities. Ms. Nalepa “argues that infiltration of the opposition with collaborators of the authoritarian regime can serve as insurance against transitional justice, making their commitments to amnesty credible.”
In late November 2009, Richard Rose, Sixth Century Chair in Politics and director of the Centre for the Study of Public Policy, was presented with the Sir Isaiah Berlin Prize for Lifetime Contribution to Political Studies at the annual luncheon of the Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom. The citation noted not only the innovative books that he had written over half a century but also his role in helping younger members of the profession and in establishing professional networks such as the European Consortium for Political Research and the British Politics Group of the American Political Science Association. Mr. Rose was also recently honored with two other lifetime achievement awards at the biennial conference of the European Consortium for Political Research in September and by the International Committee for the Study of Comparative Elections in the beginning of 2009.
The Centre for the Study of Public Policy, directed by Mr. Rose, also recently published five new papers: “The New Institutionalism in Studying Authoritarian Regimes” by Andreas Schedler; “Russians in Economic Crisis: New Russia Barometer XVIII” by Richard Rose; “Epistemic Communities and Inter-Organizational Cooperation: The Case of the European Minority Rights Regime” by David J. Galbreath; “The Impact of Macro-Economic Shock on Russians” by Richard Rose; and “Qualities of Democracy: How to Analyze Them” by Leonardo Morlino.
Bo Rothstein, August Röhss Chair of Political Science and director of the Quality of Government Institute, University of Gothenburg, has been selected as a Wallenberg Scholar by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. The Foundation, which is the largest private research foundation in Sweden, announced this new program in 2009 and issued a call to all Swedish universities for nominations of leading scholars from all disciplines. Out of forty-five nominations, an international panel selected ten scholars, including Mr. Rothstein (the only social scientist selected), to be awarded with 15 million SEK (about 2 million USD) for five years.
Sebastian Royo, associate professor of government, Suffolk University, was recently selected as a Fulbright Senior Specialist by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and will be in Argentina this summer.
Oxana Shevel, assistant professor of political science, Tufts University, published “The Post-Communist Diaspora Laws: Beyond the ‘Good Civic versus Bad Ethnic’ Nationalism Dichotomy,” in which she uses two cases, the 2001 Hungarian Status Law and the European organizations’ reaction to it and the Ukrainian diaspora law, to show how “not all ethnically tinted diaspora policies are discriminatory or otherwise contrary to international standards.”
Sherrill Stroschein, lecturer in politics, University College London, Antje Vetterlein, and Stephen Deets edited a “Forum on Everyday Post-Socialism” in the December 2009 Journal of International Relations and Development, in which the editors examine the adjustments made to daily life since 1989 in Central and Eastern Europe. Ms. Stroschein also serves as one of the associate editors of the Journal.
Tariq Thachil will be starting an appointment as an assistant professor of political science at Yale University in the Fall 2010.
Jay Ulfelder, director of research for the Political Instability Task Force, Science Applications International Corporation, published Dilemmas of Democratic Consolidation: A Game-Theory Approach (First Forum Press) in February 2010. Using a dataset of 110 democratic failures from 1955–2007, Mr. Ulfelder “offers a novel explanation for the coups and rebellions that have toppled fledgling democratic regimes and that continue to threaten many new democracies today.”
Ashutosh Varshney, professor of political science, Brown University, edited Collective Violence in Indonesia (Lynne Rienner, 2010), in which the contributing authors examine the prevalence of group violence since the end of Suharto’s so-called “New Order” (1966–1998) and compare trends in Indonesia with broad patterns in Asia and Africa.
Mr. Varshney was also awarded the VKRV Rao Visiting Professorship at the Institute of Social and Economic Change in Bangalore, India for 2010 and 2011, where he will spend a month each year in residence.
China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province, a documentary film coproduced by Ming Xia, professor of political science, City University of New York, was selected as a semi-finalist for a 2010 Oscar for Documentary Short Subject. In November, Mr. Xia was one of the four representatives on behalf of all signatories of “Charter 2008” to receive a democracy award from the Chinese Democracy Education Foundation in San Francisco, where he also delivered a keynote speech on the subject. Finally, Mr. Ming was chosen as one of the “Top 100 Chinese Public Intellectuals of 2009" by the U.S.-based Boxun News Agency.
The Comparative Democratization Section is seeking syllabi from democracy and democracy-courses taught by Section members to post on its website (http://www.ned.org/apsa-cd/Syllabi.html). Intended as a resource for democracy scholars, submitted syllabi will be posted in PDF to protect the integrity of the material. To submit a syllabus for posting, please email Melissa Aten at melissaa@ned.org.
5. RECENT CONFERENCES
On November 15–16, 2009, the Cal Poly Pomona International Center held its international research conference entitled “Global Citizenship for the 21st Century” as part of its 2009 International Education Week. The conference focused on the promises and restrictions of globalization and generated discussion about global citizenship in its many forms and processes. It sought to define what qualifications are needed to become a global citizen and how to effectively use that role. More information about the conference is available at www.csupomona.edu/~international/news/irc09.shtml.
The Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS) held its biennial conference on November 18–22, 2009, in San Diego, California. The conference centered on the theme “North by Northwest, South by Southwest, Canada, and the United States: Past, Present, and Future.” The conference outlined Canada’s policies on a range of issues including borders and migration in a comparative setting. Speakers included Canada’s Ambassador to the United States, Gary Doer, and Quebec’s Minister of International Relations, Pierre Arcand. Additional information about the biennial conference can be found at www.acsus.org/display.cfm?id=431.
The first conference about Sudan held on African soil was hosted by the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria, South Africa on November 25–28, 2009. The International Sudan Studies Conference on “The Future of Sudan to 2011 and Beyond: African Dimensions of Peace, Stability, Justice and Reconciliation” highlighted what has happened in Sudan since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in January 2005 and where the country is currently headed. More information can be found at www.sudanconference.org.za/index.php?mid=170354.
On November 30 and December 1, 2009, the New Zealand Political Studies Association held its annual conference at the University of Auckland. The conference’s theme was “Post-Broadcast Democracy: The Political Implications of Media Proliferation.” The keynote speaker, Professor Terry Flew from Queensland University of Technology, spoke on the topic of “Digital and Social Media, the Public Sphere, and News Media.” More information about the conference can be found at http://nzpsa.wordpress.com/next-conference/.
On December 10, 2009, the Center for Democracy and Civil Society at Georgetown University, in collaboration with Freedom House and the Forum for the Study of Democracy, held its Graduate Student and Junior Practitioners Symposium entitled “Democrats, Dictators, and Demonstrators: Sharing Strategies on Repression and Reform.” The symposium focused on two understudied mechanisms for democracy promotion: new internet technologies that allow democrats to instantly connect and expanding regional organizations that promote international standards of democracy. Full details can be found at www.apsanet.org/content_67691.cfm?navID=603.
On January 22–23, 2010, the University of Cambridge hosted a conference on “Legal Subjectivity, Popular/Community Justice, and Human Rights in Latin America.” The conference produced critical analysis by investigating work done on rights and justice and how they are understood and adopted through processes of communal justice and by various agencies in the context of complex local, social, political, and cultural settings. Speakers included Julio Faundez, University of Warwick; Daniel Goldstein, Rutgers University; Mark Goodale, George Mason University; and Cesar Rodríguez-Garavito, University of the Andes. Further information can be found at www.apsanet.org/content_65436.cfm?navID=603.
6. FUTURE CONFERENCES
The International Studies Association will hold its 51st annual convention on February 17–20, 2010, in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s conference will focus on the theme “Theory vs. Policy? Connecting Scholars and Practitioners.” Extensive information about the conference is available at http://www.isanet.org/neworleans2010/.
On February 26–27, 2010, the University of Connecticut’s Political Science Graduate Student Association will host its second “Democracy and Democratization Annual Conference.” The conference will offer graduate students working on democracy-related issues the opportunity to network and share their research projects and will include a keynote speech articulated by Pippa Norris, Harvard Professor of Political Science and distinguished scholar. More information can be found at http://homepages.uconn.edu/~psgsa/democracy2010.html.
On March 24–25, 2010, the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence will host a conference on “The Globalization(s) of the Conflict in Somalia” at St. Andrews University in Scotland. The conference will detail the history of the conflict in Somalia and the role that international players have had in the development of events. More information can be found at www.apsanet.org/content_67933.cfm?navID=603.
The Association for Asian Studies will hold its annual meeting on March 25–28, 2010, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Keynote speakers include Anwar Ibrahim and Wang Hui. Nearly 300 panels and roundtables will be held on various topics. Democracy scholars will find many of these presentations to be of interest, including: “Technologies of Governance in Neoliberal India and the Crafting of Citizenship” by Dolly Daftary, Washington University; “Democracy and Identity in Southeast Asia” by Jacques Bertrand, University of Toronto; “Class and Democracy in Asia” by Erik M. Kuhonta, McGill University; “Democratizing Democracy: Politics of Social Movements in Contemporary Taiwan” by Ming-sho Ho, National Taiwan University; and “Is Bangladesh Now/Again a Democracy, or Not?” by Harry W. Blair, Yale University. A full list of panels and more information can be found at www.aasianst.org/annual-meeting/index.htm.
On March 29–April 1, 2010, the Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom will host its 60th annual conference entitled “Sixty Years of Political Studies: Achievements and Futures” in Edinburgh, Scotland. The meeting will serve to reflect on the political studies undertaken over the past 60 years and will be a launching point for topics that must be addressed in the current political climate. Additional information about the conference can be found at www.psa.ac.uk/2010/index.html.
On April 1–3, 2010, the Western Political Science Association will hold its 2010 annual meeting in San Francisco, California. This year’s meeting will take place on the theme of “Politics in the Maelstrom of Global Economic Crisis.” Workshops on many topics, including feminist theory, environmental political theory, and Latino politics, will be presented. A full agenda and information about the WPSA can be found at www.csus.edu/org/wpsa/mtgs.stm.
The Midwest Political Science Association will hold its 68th annual national conference on April 22–25, 2010, in Chicago, Illinois. As one of the largest political science conferences in the world, it will serve as a medium for the presentation of thousands of relevant papers and bring together many of the foremost political scholars. More information on the conference agenda can be found at www.mpsanet.org/Conference/tabid/75/Default.aspx.
The Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) at the University of California, Irvine will hold its sixth annual Southern California Graduate Student Conference on May 8, 2010. This year’s theme will be “Democracy and its Development.” The conference will discuss problems that developed democracies face regarding the democratic process, economic markets and their relation to democracy, and the expansion of democracy across the developing world. More information about the conference and paper proposals, due by March 1, 2010, can be found at www.apsanet.org/content_68865.cfm?navID=603.
On June 23–25, 2010, the Participatory and Deliberative Democracy Specialist Group of the Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom will host a conference on “Deliberative and Participatory Democracy in the UK” in Glasgow, Scotland. The conference will focus primarily on deliberative and participatory democracy in the United Kingdom. Additional information is available at www.apsanet.org/content_68515.cfm?navID=603.
7. NEW RESEARCH
Journal of Democracy
The January 2010 (Volume 21, no. 1) issue of the Journal of Democracy is a special issue celebrating the Journal’s twentieth anniversary and includes clusters of articles on Democracy’s Past and Future and Twenty Years of Postcommunism. The full text of selected articles and the tables of contents of all issues are available on the Journal’s website.
Democracy’s Past and Future
“Still Bowling Alone? The Post-9/11 Split” by Thomas H. Sander and Robert D. Putnam
The crisis of the 9/11 terrorist attacks has sparked a surge of increased civic engagement by young people in the United States, but there is also evidence of a growing divide along class lines.
“Twenty-Five Years, Fifteen Findings” by Philippe C. Schmitter
A coauthor of the pathbreaking study Transitions from Authoritarian Rule reflects on the lessons that he has learned about democratic transition and consolidation since the publication of this work nearly 25 years ago.
“Schmitter’s Retrospective: A Few Dissenting Notes” by Guillermo O’Donnell
Another coauthor of Transitions from Authoritarian Rule questions whether his former collaborator is underrating the current dangers to democracy.
“Transitions to the Rule of Law” by Francis Fukuyama
While we have witnessed many transitions to multiparty systems, it has proven much harder for countries to attain a genuine rule of law. We need to know more about the origins of the rule of law in order to promote it successfully today.
“The Crash of ‘08” by Laurence Whitehead
The short-term political impact of the economic crisis has been less dramatic than initially expected, but it may have lasting effects on the “quality” of democracy, including the legitimacy of prevailing financial institutions.
“Why Democracy Needs a Level Playing Field” by Steven Levitsky and Lucan A. Way
In some countries, democratic competition is undermined less by electoral fraud or repression than by a skewed playing field—unequal access to state institutions, resources, and the media.
“Authoritarianism’s Last Line of Defense” by Andreas Schedler
The new electoral authoritarian regimes of the post–Cold War era have formally adopted the full panoply of liberal-democratic institutions. Rather than rejecting or repressing these institutions, they manipulate them.
“Populism, Pluralism, and Liberal Democracy” by Marc F. Plattner
In recent years, scholars have begun to focus on the sources of “authoritarian resilience.” But democracy has also shown surprising resilience, in part because the disorders to which it is prone tend to counteract each other.
“Why Are There No Arab Democracies?” by Larry Diamond
Democracy has held its own or gained ground in just about every part of the world except for the Arab Middle East. Why has this crucial region remained such infertile soil for democracy?
Twenty Years of Postcommunism
Seven leading experts on Central Europe and the former Soviet Union examine the progress of democratization in the postcommunist world since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and point to the challenges that lie ahead.
I. “In Search of A New Model” by Jacques Rupnik
II. “Deepening Dissatisfaction” by Ivan Krastev
III. “The Other Transition” by Alina Mungiu-Pippidi
IV. “Citizenship Restored” by Vladimir Tismaneanu
V. “Freedom and the State” by Ghia Nodia
VI. “Georgia’s Soviet Legacy” by Charles H. Fairbanks, Jr.
VII. “What’s the Matter with Russia?” by Lilia Shevtsova
Review Essay
“Democratic Triumph, Scholarly Pessimism” by Bruce Gilley
By any measure, democratization has achieved remarkable advances over the past twenty years. Why, then, have so many of the leading works written on the topic during this period been so full of gloom?
Democratization
The February 2010 (Volume 17, no. 1) Democratization features articles on informal politics in Kazakhstan, consolidating democracy in Ghana, USAID’s democracy promotion efforts in Bosnia and Afghanistan, and mass support for democracy in Hong Kong.
“Informal Politics and the Uncertain Context of Transition: Revisiting Early Stage Non-Democratic Development in Kazakhstan” by Rico Isaacs
“Consolidating Democracy in Ghana: Progress and Prospects?” by Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai and Gordon Crawford
“Political and Ideological Aspects in the Measurement of Democracy: the Freedom House Case” by Diego Giannone
“Exploring USAID’s Democracy Promotion in Bosnia and Afghanistan: A ‘Cookie-Cutter Approach’?” by Matthew Alan Hill
“Party Prohibition Cases: Different Approaches by the Turkish Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights” by Ergun Özbudun
“Two Dimensions of Democracy and the Economy” by Leslie Elliott Armijo and Carlos Gervasoni
“Explaining Mass Support for Democracy in Hong Kong” by Ming Sing
The December 2009 (Volume 16, no. 6) Democratization is a special issue on Religion and Democratizations.
“Religion and Democratizations: An Introduction” by Jeffrey Haynes
“The Multi-Faceted Role of Religious Actors in Democratization Processes: Empirical Evidence from Five Young Democracies” by Mirjam Künkler and Julia Leininger
“‘Catholic Waves’ of Democratization? Roman Catholicism and Its Potential for Democratization” by Jodok Troy
“Democratization in Israel, Politicized Religion and the Failure of the Oslo Peace Process” by Claudia Baumgart-Ochse
“Democratizing State-Religion Relations: A Comparative Study of Turkey, Egypt and Israel” by Amal Jamal
“Spiritual Capital and Democratization in Zimbabwe: A Case Study of a Progressive Charismatic Congregation” by Gladys Ganiel
“Islam and Democratization in Turkey: Secularism and Trust in a Divided Society” by Ioannis N. Grigoriadis
“The Fethullah Gülen Movement and Politics in Turkey: A Chance for Democratization or a Trojan Horse?” by Istar B. Gözaydin
“A Rights-Based Discourse to Contest the Boundaries of State Secularism? The Case of Headscarf Bans in France and Turkey” by Amélie Barras
“The Problematic Nature of Religious Autonomy to Minorities in Democracy—The Case of India’s Muslims” by Ayelet Harel-Shalev
“Conclusion: Religion, Democratization, and Secularization” by Jeffrey Haynes
SELECTED JOURNAL ARTICLES ON DEMOCRACY
This section features selected articles on democracy that appeared in journals received by the NED’s Democracy Resource Center, November 1, 2009–February 1, 2010.
Comparative Political Studies, Vol. 42, no. 12, December 2009
“The Ideological Congruence Controversy: The Impact of Alternative Measures, Data, and Time Periods on the Effects of Election Rules” by G. Bingham Powell, Jr.
“Time Bomb? The Dynamic Effect of News and Symbols on the Political Identity of European Citizens” by Michael Bruter
“Crafting Trust: The Role of Political Institutions in a Comparative Perspective” by Markus Freitag and Marc Bühlman
Comparative Political Studies, Vol. 43, no. 1, January 2010
“Bargaining Delays in the Government Formation Process” by Sona N. Golder
“Constraining Ministerial Power: The Impact of Veto Players on Labor Market Reforms in Industrial Democracies, 1973–2000” by Michael Becher
“Comparing Strategic Voting under FPTP and PR” by Paul R. Abramson, John H. Aldrich, Andre Blais, Matthew Diamond, Abraham Diskin, Indridi H. Indridason, Daniel J. Lee, and Renan Levine
“‘No Irish Need Apply’? Veto Players and Legislative Productivity in the Republic of Ireland, 1949–2000” by Richard S. Conley and Marija A. Bekafigo
“Do Migrants Remit Democracy? International Migration, Political Beliefs, and Behavior in Mexico” by Clarisa Peréz-Armendáriz and David Crow
Comparative Political Studies, Vol. 43, no. 2, February 2010
“Making Reconstruction Work: Civil Society and Information after War’s End” by Rieko Kage
“Personality and Political Tolerance: The Limits of Democratic Learning in Postcommunist Europe” by Robert A. Hinckley
“Institutional Constraints on Profligate Politicians: The Conditional Effect of Partisan Fragmentation on Budget Deficits” by Joachim Wehner
Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol. 31, no. 3, December 2009
“Diplomacy under Siege: Thailand’s Political Crisis and the Impact on Foreign Policy” by Pavin Chachavalpongpun
“Institutions for the Protection of Human Rights in Southeast Asia: A Survey Report” by Hao Duy Phan
Current History, Vol. 108, no. 721, November 2009
“Emerging Multipolarity: Why Should We Care?” by Barry R. Posen
“How to Govern a Multipolar World” by David P. Calleo
“The Washington Bubble: Why US Foreign Policy Is Oversized” by Stephen F. Szabo
“Power Shuffle: Will the Coming Transition be Peaceful?” by Erik Gartzke
Current History, Vol. 108, no. 722, December 2009
“The Middle East’s New Power Dynamics” by Anoushiravan Ehteshami
“‘Moderates Redefined: How to Deal with Political Islam” by Emile Nakhleh
“Syria: The Change that Never Came” by Lindsay A. Gifford
“Behind Iran’s Crackdown, an Economic Coup” by Fariborz Ghadar
Demokratizatsiya, Vol. 17, no. 4, Fall 2009
“Does ‘Populism’ in Europe’s New Democracies Really Matter?” by Philip Dimitrov
Government and Opposition, Vol. 45, no. 1, January 2010
“Semi-Presidentialism, Cohabitation and the Collapse of Electoral Democracies, 1990–2008” by Robert Elgie
“Testing Large Business’s Commitment to Democracy: Business Organizations and the Secular-Muslim Conflict in Turkey” by Devrim Yavuz
“Co-optation and Resistance in Thailand’s Muslim South: The Changing Role of Islamic Council Elections” by Duncan McCargo
Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, Vol. 1, no. 1, March 2009
“The Future of Rule of Law: Challenges and Prospects for the Field” by Randy Peerenboom
“Rule of Law, Adat Law and Sharia: 1901, 2001, and Monitoring the Next Phase” by Jan Michiel Otto
“The Rule of Law and ‘The Three Integrations’” by Martin Krygier
“The Political Economy of the Rule of Law: The Challenge of the New Developmental State” by David M. Trubek
“The Rule of Law at Home and Abroad” by James A. Goldston
“Frequently Asked Questions about Rule of Law Assistance (And Why Better Answers Matter)” by Veronica L. Taylor
“Make Justice the Organizing Principle of the Rule of Law Field” by Stephen Golub
“‘I’ll Take Manhattan’ The International Rule of Law and the United Nations Security Council” by Simon Chesterman
“The Internationalized Rule of Law” by André Nollkaemper
“International Justice and the Rule of Law: Strengthening the ICC through Domestic Prosecutions” by Mark S. Ellis
“Justice on the Ground: Can International Criminal Courts Strengthen Domestic Rule of Law in Post-Conflict Societies?” by Jane Stromseth
Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, Vol. 1, no. 2, September 2009
“The Fall of European Communism: 20 Years After” by Martin Krygier
“Institutional Change after Socialism and the Rule of Law” by Leszek Balcerowicz
“The Rule of Law as an Institutionalized Wager: Constitutions, Courts and Transformative Social Dynamics in Eastern Europe” by Venelin I. Ganev
“The Rule of Law, Economic Transformation and Corruption After the Fall of the Berlin Wall” by Grazyna Skapska
“Lustration, Decommunisation, and the Rule of Law” by Adam Czarnota
“From ‘Which Rule of Law?’ to ‘The Rule of Which Law?’: Post-Communist Experiences of European Legal Integration” by Jirí Pribán
Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 31, no. 4, November 2009
“History and Action: The Inter-American Human Rights System and the Role of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights” by Robert K. Goldman
“Breaking New Ground: The Convention on Cluster Munitions and the Evolution of International Humanitarian Law” by Bonnie Docherty
“Morocco’s Family Code: Improving Equality for Women” by Katie Zoglin
“The Unsettled Relationship of Economic and Social Rights and the West: A Response to Whelan and Donnelly” by Susan L. Kang
“The Reality of Western Support for Economic and Social Rights: A Reply to Susan L. Kang” by Daniel J. Whelan and Jack Donnelly
International Political Science Review, Vol. 30, no. 4, Summer 2009
“The Changing Challenge of Europeanization to Politics and Governance in Turkey” by Kivanç Ulusoy
“How the Military Competes for Expenditure in Brazilian Democracy: Arguments for an Outlier” by Jorge Zaverucha and Flávio da Cunha Rezende
“Democracy’s Friend or Foe? The Effects of Recent IMF Conditional Lending in Latin America” by Chelsea Brown
Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Vol. 25, no. 4, December 2009
“Driver, Conductor or Fellow Passenger? EU Membership and Party Politics in Central and Eastern Europe” by Tim Haughton
“The Dog that Did Not Bark? Assessing the Impact of the EU on Party Politics in Hungary” by Agnes Batory
“When in Doubt, (Re-)Turn to Domestic Politics? The (Non-)Impact of the EU on Party Politics in Poland?” by Aleks Szczerbiak and Monika Bil
“Force Mineure? The Effects of the EU on Party Politics in a Small Country: The Case of Estonia” by Allan Sikk
“The European Union: A Joker or Just an Ordinary Playing Card for Slovenian Political Parties?” by Alenka Krašovec and Damjan Lajh
“Europeanization of Political Parties and the Party System in the Czech Republic” by Vít Hloušek and Pavel Pšeja
“A Tool in the Toolbox: Assessing the Impact of EU Membership on Party Politics in Slovakia” by Tim Haughton and Marek Rybár
“The Europeanization of Political Parties in Central and Eastern Europe? The Impact of EU Entry on Issue Stances, Salience and Programmatic Coherence” by Stephen Whitefield and Robert Rohrschneider
Middle East Policy, Vol. XVI, no. 4, Winter 2009
“Major World Powers and the Middle East” by Shibley Telhami, Robert E. Hunter, Mark N. Katz, and Chas W. Freeman, Jr.
“The Islamic Republic and the ‘Green Movement’: Coming Full Circle” by Mahmood Monshipouri and Ali Assareh
“U.S.-Arab Relations: Forks in the Way Forward” by Chas W. Freeman, Jr.
Pacific Affairs, Vol. 82, no. 4, Winter 2009/2010
“The Limits of International Engagement in Human Rights Situations: The Case of Sri Lanka” by Bruce Matthews
“Thin Rule of Law or Un-Rule of Law in Myanmar?” by Nick Cheesman
“East Asia Responds to the Rise of China: Patterns and Variations” by Jae Ho Chung
Party Politics, Vol. 16, no. 1, January 2010
“Parties’ Responses to Economic Globalization: What Is Left for the Left and Right for the Right?” by Andrea B. Haupt
“Where Are the Disgruntled Voters?: Voter-Party Relations under Cartelizing Conditions” by Jóhanna Kristín Birnir
“The Moderation Theory Revisited: The Case of Islamic Political Actors” by Günes Murat Tezcür
Representation, Vol. 45, no. 4, November 2009
“When Is Proportional Not Proportional? Great Britain’s 2009 Elections to the European Parliament” by Iain McLean and Ron Johnston
“Do ‘Wrong Winner’ Elections Trigger Electoral Reform? Lessons from New Zealand” by Alan Renwick
“Political Representation from the Principal-Agent Perspective” by Jan-Erik Lane
“M.K. Gandhi: Reconciling Agonism and Deliberative Democracy” by Robert Sparling
“One Winner, Two Winners, No Winners: The 2009 Elections in Israel” by Gideon Rahat and Reuven Y. Hazan
“Twenty Years of Functional Elections in Hong Kong: Exclusive Corporatism or Alternative Democratic Form?” by Ngok Ma
“Independent Electoral Commission in Tanzania: A False Debate?” by Alexander Boniface Makulilo
“Costa Rica’s 2007 Referendum on the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR): Citizen Participation or Citizen Manipulation?” by Anita Breuer
World Politics, Vol. 61, no. 4, October 2009
“Inequality and Democracy: Why Inequality Harms Consolidation but Does Not Affect Democratization” by Christian Houle
“National Design and State Building in Sub-Saharan Africa” by Cameron G. Thies
“Enlarging the Varieties of Capitalism: The Emergence of Dependent Market Economies in East Central Europe” by Andreas Nölke and Arjan Vliegenthart
World Politics, Vol. 62, no. 1, January 2010
“Defeating Dictators: Electoral Change and Stability in Competitive Authoritarian Regimes” by Valerie J. Bunce and Sharon L. Wolchik
“Why Do Ethnic Groups Rebel? New Data and Analysis” by Lars-Erik Cederman, Andreas Wimmer, and Brian Min
SELECTED NEW BOOKS ON DEMOCRACY
ADVANCED DEMOCRACIES
Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics. By Marc J. Hetherington and Jonathan D. Weiler. Cambridge University Press, 2009. 234 pp.
Canadian Democracy. By Stephen Brooks. Oxford University Press, 2009. 604 pp.
Constitutional Review under the UK Human Rights Act. By Aileen Kavanagh. Cambridge University Press, 2009. 455 pp.
Democratization in America: A Comparative-Historical Analysis. Edited by Desmond King et al. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009. 352 pp.
Direct Democracy and the Courts. By Kenneth P. Miller. Cambridge University Press, 2009. 278 pp.
Discount Voting: Voter Registration Reforms and Their Effects. By Michael J. Hanmer. Cambridge University Press, 2009. 252 pp.
Dominance by Design: Technological Imperatives and America’s Civilizing Mission.
By Michael Adas. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2009. 542 pp.
Freedom’s Orator: Mario Savio and the Radical Legacy of the 1960s. By Robert Cohen. Oxford University Press, 2009. 544 pp.
Moved to Action: Motivation, Participation and Inequality in American Politics.
By Hahrie Han. Stanford University Press, 2009. 191 pp.
The Myth of Presidential Representation. By B. Dan Wood. Cambridge University Press, 2009. 226 pp.
Performance Politics and the British Voter. By Harold D. Clarke et al. Cambridge University Press, 2009. 388 pp.
Remaking the Presidency: Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson, 1901–1916. By Peri E. Arnold. University Press of Kansas, 2009. 277 pp.
Strengthening Congress. By Lee H. Hamilton. Indiana University Press, 2009. 124 pp.
The Supreme Court and the Idea of Constitutionalism. Edited by Steven Kautz et al. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009. 328 pp.
AFRICA
Christianity and Genocide in Rwanda. By Timothy Longman. Cambridge University
Press, 2009. 372 pp.
Legislative Power in Emerging African Democracies. Edited by Joel D. Barkan.
Lynne Rienner, 2009. 277 pp.
ASIA
China’s Long March to Freedom: Grassroots Modernization. By Kate Zhou. Transaction Publishers, 2009. 349 pp.
Economic Crises and the Breakdown of Authoritarian Regimes: Indonesia and Malaysia in Comparative Perspective. By Thomas B. Pepinsky. Cambridge University Press, 2009. 326 pp.
A History of China. By John Keay. Basic Books, 2009. 642 pp.
Organizing at the Margins: The Symbolic Politics of Labor in South Korea and the United States. By Jennifer Jihye Chun. Cornell University Press, 2009. 221 pp.
When Rebels Become Stakeholders: Democracy, Agency and Social Change in India. By Subrata K. Mitra and V. B. Singh. Sage, 2009. 319 pp.
EASTERN EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION
The Quality of Democracy in Eastern Europe: Public Preferences and Policy Reforms. By Andrew Roberts. Cambridge University Press, 2009. 239 pp.
Trotsky: Downfall of a Revolutionary. By Bertrand M. Patenaude. Harper, 2009. 370 pp.
Women in Power in Post-Communist Parliaments. Edited by Marilyn Rueschmeyer and Sharon L. Wolchik. Indiana University Press, 2009. 256 pp.
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Consolidating Mexico’s Democracy: The 2006 Presidential Campaign in Comparative
Perspective. Edited by Jorge I. Domínguez, Chappell Lawson, and Alejandro Moreno. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009. 366 pp.
Death Squads or Self-Defense: How Paramilitary Groups Emerge and Challenge Democracy in Latin America. By Julie Mazzei. University of North Carolina Press, 2009. 261 pp.
Latin American Democratic Transformations: Institutions, Actors, and Processes. By William C. Smith. Wiley, 2009. 200 pp.
Participatory Innovation and Representative Democracy in Latin America. Edited by Andrew Selee and Enrique Peruzzotti. Woodrow Wilson Center Press, 2009. 184 pp.
The Revolutionary Has No Clothes: Hugo Chavez’s Bolivarian Farce. By A.C. Clark. Encounter Books, 2009. 220 pp.
Struggles for Local Democracy in the Andes. By John Cameron. Lynne Rienner, 2009. 365 pp.
MIDDLE EAST
Crisis in Kirkuk: The Ethnopolitics of Conflict and Compromise. By Liam Anderson
and Gareth Stansfield. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009. 312 pp.
Generation in Waiting: The Unfulfilled Promise of Young People in the Middle East. Edited by Navtej Dhillon and Tarik Yousef. Brookings Institution, 2009. 267 pp.
Getting to Pluralism: Political Actors in the Arab World. Edited by Marina Ottaway and Amr Hamzawy. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2009. 118 pp.
The Iraq War: Origins and Consequences. By James DeFronzo. Westview, 2009.
336 pp.
Political Liberalization in the Persian Gulf. Edited by Joshua Teitelbaum. Columbia University Press, 2009. 312 pp.
COMPARATIVE, THEORETICAL, GENERAL
Anti-Americanism and the American World Order. By Giacomo Chiozza. John Hopkins University Press, 2009. 235 pp.
A Cosmopolitanism of Nations: Giuseppe Mazzini’s Writings on Democracy, Nation
Building, and International Relations. Edited by Stefano Recchia and Nadia Urbinati. Princeton University Press, 2009. 249 pp.
Democratic Innovations: Designing Institutions for Citizen Participation. By Graham Smith. Cambridge University Press, 2009. 220 pp.
Democracies in Danger. Edited by Alfred Stepan. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009. 185 pp.
Democratization by Elections: A New Mode of Transition. Edited by Staffan L. Lindberg. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009. 432 pp.
The Endurance of National Constitutions. By Zachary Elkins, Tom Ginsburg, and James Melton. Cambridge University Press, 2009. 272 pp.
Global Democracy and Sustainable Jurisprudence: Deliberative Environmental Laws. By Walter F. Baber and Robert V. Bartlett. MIT Press, 2009. 248 pp.
Hope in a Democratic Age: Philosophy, Religion, and Political Theory. By Alan Mittleman. Oxford University Press, 2009. 298 pp.
Individuality and Mass Democracy: Mill, Emerson, and the Burdens of Citizenship. By Alex Zakaras. Oxford University Press, 2009. 264 pp.
Intergovernmental Cooperation: Rational Choices in Federal Systems and Beyond. By Nicole Bolleyer. Oxford University Press, 2009. 272 pp.
Is Democracy Exportable? Edited by Zoltan Barany and Robert G. Moser. Cambridge University Press, 2009. 303 pp.
The Life and Death of Democracy. By John Keane. W.W. Norton, 2009. 958 pp.
Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers: David Hume. Volume 3. By Christopher J. Berry. Continuum Books, 2009. 176 pp.
Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers: John Locke. Volume 2. By Eric Mack. Continuum Books, 2009. 166 pp.
Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers: Joseph A. Schumpeter. Volume 4. By John Medearis. Continuum Books, 2009. 172 pp.
Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers: The Modern Papacy. Volume 5. By Samuel Gregg. Continuum Books, 2009. 162 pp.
Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers: Thomas Hobbes. Volume 1. By R.E.R. Bunce. Continuum Books, 2009. 163 pp.
Montesquieu and the Logic of Liberty. By Paul A. Rahe. Yale University Press, 2009. 369 pp.
Paths to Peace: Domestic Coalition Shifts, War Termination and the Korean War. By Elizabeth Stanley. Oxford University Press, 2009. 393 pp.
Reason, Religion, and Democracy. By Dennis C. Mueller. Cambridge University Press, 2009. 450 pp.
States of Emergency in Liberal Democracies. By Nomi Claire Lazar. Cambridge University Press, 2009. 179 pp.
Walking Away from Terrorism: Accounts of Disengagement from Radical and Extremist Movements. By John Horgan. Routledge, 2009. 216 pp.
When the People Speak: Deliberative Democracy and Public Consultation. By James Fishkin. Oxford University Press, 2009. 256 pp.
The World Bank Unveiled: Inside the Revolutionary Struggle for Transparency. By David Ian Shaman. Parkhurst Brothers, 2009. 568 pp.