Week 3: Readings
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Week Three: Readings |
The Origins of Democracy and Democratization |
These readings explore the question of where democracy comes from, the conditions that enable democracy, and the process of democratization. We can also think about all of these as the inverse of the questions of how authoritarian regimes die or what makes particular authoritarian regimes robust. This is, in fact, how Geddes conceptualizes democratization, as the collapse of authoritarianism.
All three main readings are important (and somewhat dense) so leave time. (Don't worry, not all weeks will be this heavy!). Boix illustrates a "distributional" approach to democratization. Geddes and Lipset discuss political explanations for democratization. Lurking behind all of these accounts is Modernization Theory, one of the core explanations for democratization we will discuss in this class. Lectures will articulate it more fully, but you will also find it summarized and referenced in the readings as a "foil" against which the authors make their arguments.
Required Readings
- Geddes, Barbara. 1999. “What do we know about Democratization After 20 Years?” Annual Review of Political Science. 2. pp. 115-144. Download Geddes, Barbara. 1999. “What do we know about Democratization After 20 Years?” Annual Review of Political Science. 2. pp. 115-144.
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Boix, Carles. 2006. “The Roots of Democracy.” Hoover Institution Policy Review. Download Boix, Carles. 2006. “The Roots of Democracy.” Hoover Institution Policy Review.
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S.M. Lipset, “George Washington and the Founding of Democracy,” Journal of Democracy 9, No. 4, 1998, pp. 24-38. Download S.M. Lipset, “George Washington and the Founding of Democracy,” Journal of Democracy 9, No. 4, 1998, pp. 24-38.
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Vivian Yee. 2022. "Despite Iran’s Efforts to Block Internet, Technology Has Helped Fuel Outrage." New York Times, 9/29/2022. Download Vivian Yee. 2022. "Despite Iran’s Efforts to Block Internet, Technology Has Helped Fuel Outrage." New York Times, 9/29/2022.