What Is Democratisation?
Democratisation refers to the process whereby a country adopts a democratic political regime. There is considerable agreement among political scientists that the process of democratization begins with the overthrow of an authoritarian government and includes the establishment of a variety of democratic institutions, but disagreement about how a democracy is defined and the criteria that should be used to determine whether or when a country has truly democratized.
Some scholars argue that a successful democracy requires that the majority of citizens accept and endorse its values, including the equality of men and women. They point to studies showing that more educated citizens are more likely to support democracy and that the level of education correlates with democratic attitudes and values. Some also suggest that the experience of a democratic culture increases the tolerance for minority rights and other democratic features.
Other scholars emphasize the role of economic development in a country’s ability to sustain its democratic regime. They note that democratic countries tend to have more economic growth, and they argue that this enables them to invest in infrastructure and public goods and to provide more opportunities for citizens. In addition, they contend that democratic governments are more efficient and productive and that economic decline in nondemocratic countries can lead to popular revolts or the establishment of a dictatorship.
Many scholars cite the existence of a “democratic peace”—the absence of war between established democracies—as evidence of the compatibility of democracy and economic development. However, critics point to a few ambiguous cases in the 19th century in which a democratizing country fought another democracy and to the fact that the economies of democratic and non-democratic countries do not always grow at the same rate.
The “wave of democratization” that swept through Europe and Latin America in the mid-to-late 1970s and early 1980s threw the traditional theory on democratization into question. Those who had previously viewed democratic transitions as processes dominated by elite interactions suddenly faced the possibility that a large number of countries could move to democracy for a variety of different reasons.
Scholars now view the study of democratization as an essential area of inquiry for understanding modern political systems. It is a central focus of the research of such well-known authors as Dankwart Rustow, Guillermo O’Donnell, and Philippe Schmitter. Moreover, the recent rapid increase in the size of democratic states has made the topic more attractive to researchers and students who wish to explore the practical/strategic issues involved in the process of democratization. This new interest has resulted in a reshaping of the field of modern political science, which now encompasses both study of the causes of democratization (why?), as well as the practical/strategic questions about how to foster democratization (how?). Some of the current debates on democratization center around such topics as:
Democratisation refers to the process whereby a country adopts a democratic political regime. There is considerable agreement among political scientists that the process of democratization begins with the overthrow of an authoritarian government and includes the establishment of a variety of democratic institutions, but disagreement about how a democracy is defined and the criteria that should be used to determine whether or when a country has truly democratized. Some scholars argue that a successful democracy requires that the majority of citizens accept and endorse its values, including the equality of men and women. They point to studies showing that more educated citizens are more likely to support democracy and that the level of education correlates with democratic attitudes and values. Some also suggest that the experience of a democratic culture increases the tolerance for minority rights and other democratic features. Other scholars emphasize the role of economic development in a country’s ability to sustain its democratic regime. They note that democratic countries tend to have more economic growth, and they argue that this enables them to invest in infrastructure and public goods and to provide more opportunities for citizens. In addition, they contend that democratic governments are more efficient and productive and that economic decline in nondemocratic countries can lead to popular revolts or the establishment of a dictatorship. Many scholars cite the existence of a “democratic peace”—the absence of war between established democracies—as evidence of the compatibility of democracy and economic development. However, critics point to a few ambiguous cases in the 19th century in which a democratizing country fought another democracy and to the fact that the economies of democratic and non-democratic countries do not always grow at the same rate. The “wave of democratization” that swept through Europe and Latin America in the mid-to-late 1970s and early 1980s threw the traditional theory on democratization into question. Those who had previously viewed democratic transitions as processes dominated by elite interactions suddenly faced the possibility that a large number of countries could move to democracy for a variety of different reasons. Scholars now view the study of democratization as an essential area of inquiry for understanding modern political systems. It is a central focus of the research of such well-known authors as Dankwart Rustow, Guillermo O’Donnell, and Philippe Schmitter. Moreover, the recent rapid increase in the size of democratic states has made the topic more attractive to researchers and students who wish to explore the practical/strategic issues involved in the process of democratization. This new interest has resulted in a reshaping of the field of modern political science, which now encompasses both study of the causes of democratization (why?), as well as the practical/strategic questions about how to foster democratization (how?). Some of the current debates on democratization center around such topics as: