What is Democracisation?
Democraticisation is a process of political reform that allows the citizens of a country to voice their opinions and participate in elections. Democratisation is not a linear process, it has many phases and there are many different ways to achieve it. The main purpose of democratisation is to give the people a greater degree of autonomy, which in turn leads to a more democratic system. It is also a means of reducing the likelihood of corruption.
There are several types of democratisation, each with its own set of conditions. Typically, democratisation can be separated into two phases: transition and consolidation. A transition is a period of time during which the authoritarian regime is overthrown and replaced with a liberal or democratic system. During this period, there is a lot of uncertainty about what will happen next. Some countries go through a wave of democratisation during the 1990s, while other countries are a part of a long slog of democratisation.
For example, in the 1980s, a wave of democratisation occurred in developing countries. In a number of cases, this was the result of the middle class putting pressure on governments to implement democratic reforms. While there is a correlation between economic development and democratisation, this relationship does not always hold. Several studies have found that a decrease in income does not reduce support for democracy.
Another important aspect of democratisation is access to information. More access to information makes it harder to hide corruption. Furthermore, if a government restricts or prevents free speech, it creates a more hostile environment for politics. Many democratic countries are characterised by a free press. This provides an incentive for politicians to obey the law and to conduct the electoral process with utmost care.
Another factor in democratisation is the size of the middle class. Countries with a large middle class are generally viewed as a bulwark against authoritarian tendencies. Educated middle classes are generally more likely to demand a larger role in governance matters. They also seek to maintain social stability and economic security. Compared to other classes, the middle class is also more concerned about ensuring the rule of law.
A third type of democratisation is the convergence of democratisation into a more liberal-democratic regime. When a country reaches this level of democratisation, no chance of autocracy exists. These regimes may include those that allow a certain amount of corruption or discrimination, but they are less likely to be overtly authoritarian.
Democracy is a long and slow process, but it is often the result of a combination of factors. As such, it is not necessarily an easy task to construct a general model of democratisation. Early democratization theorists tried to develop a general explanation of why a country becomes democratised by framing the issue in terms of strategic interaction among elites. However, this approach lacks a rich structural explanation and does not account for the origins of the preferences of elites.
Nevertheless, a study of democratisation in a few countries has shown that the size of the middle class has a significant effect on the probability of democratisation. According to this model, an educated and well-off middle class is more likely to demand a larger role in the governance of the country.
Democraticisation is a process of political reform that allows the citizens of a country to voice their opinions and participate in elections. Democratisation is not a linear process, it has many phases and there are many different ways to achieve it. The main purpose of democratisation is to give the people a greater degree of autonomy, which in turn leads to a more democratic system. It is also a means of reducing the likelihood of corruption. There are several types of democratisation, each with its own set of conditions. Typically, democratisation can be separated into two phases: transition and consolidation. A transition is a period of time during which the authoritarian regime is overthrown and replaced with a liberal or democratic system. During this period, there is a lot of uncertainty about what will happen next. Some countries go through a wave of democratisation during the 1990s, while other countries are a part of a long slog of democratisation. For example, in the 1980s, a wave of democratisation occurred in developing countries. In a number of cases, this was the result of the middle class putting pressure on governments to implement democratic reforms. While there is a correlation between economic development and democratisation, this relationship does not always hold. Several studies have found that a decrease in income does not reduce support for democracy. Another important aspect of democratisation is access to information. More access to information makes it harder to hide corruption. Furthermore, if a government restricts or prevents free speech, it creates a more hostile environment for politics. Many democratic countries are characterised by a free press. This provides an incentive for politicians to obey the law and to conduct the electoral process with utmost care. Another factor in democratisation is the size of the middle class. Countries with a large middle class are generally viewed as a bulwark against authoritarian tendencies. Educated middle classes are generally more likely to demand a larger role in governance matters. They also seek to maintain social stability and economic security. Compared to other classes, the middle class is also more concerned about ensuring the rule of law. A third type of democratisation is the convergence of democratisation into a more liberal-democratic regime. When a country reaches this level of democratisation, no chance of autocracy exists. These regimes may include those that allow a certain amount of corruption or discrimination, but they are less likely to be overtly authoritarian. Democracy is a long and slow process, but it is often the result of a combination of factors. As such, it is not necessarily an easy task to construct a general model of democratisation. Early democratization theorists tried to develop a general explanation of why a country becomes democratised by framing the issue in terms of strategic interaction among elites. However, this approach lacks a rich structural explanation and does not account for the origins of the preferences of elites. Nevertheless, a study of democratisation in a few countries has shown that the size of the middle class has a significant effect on the probability of democratisation. According to this model, an educated and well-off middle class is more likely to demand a larger role in the governance of the country.