= Democratization = '''Democratization''' (and the inverse, '''autocratization''' or '''democratic backsliding''') are comparative fields of study of (positively) how democracy is established and (normatively) how its establishment can be encouraged. <> ---- == Description == Democratization is a field of study approached by many competing theories and frameworks. As examples: * Some authors explore democratic backslide as a consequence of 'worsening' political polarization, and therefore apply [[PoliticalScience/AffectivePolarization|affective polarization]] or [[PoliticalScience/Constructivism|constructivist]] methods. These typically lean into the normative side of the field. * Some authors explore autocracy as an [[PoliticalScience/Instrumentalism|instrument]]: an institution that is [[PoliticalScience/InstitutionalDesign|designed]] to extract benefits from one group for another. This is also an example of positive theory in this field. ---- == Waves == This field has conceptualized three 'waves' of democratization. 1. The first wave was very general, starting somewhere in the 19th century and continuing until the rise of [[Italy/BenitoMussolini|fascism]]. 2. The second wave followed [[WorldHistory/WorldWar2|WW2]] and was characterized by decolonization. 3. The third wave began with [[Portugal]] and [[Spain/Democratization#Constitution_of_1978|Spain]], but is largely a story of Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe following the fall of the [[WorldHistory/SovietUnion|USSR]]. There are then reactionary waves of autocratization that follow these: 1. Obviously, the rise of fascism. 2. Decolonization dropped off in the 1960s. The Cold War also saw several notable autocracies propped up. 3. In the context of the [[UnitedStates/GeorgeWBush|War on Terror]] and the Great Recession of 2008, many democracies have backslid. The Arab Spring is a notable counterpoint. ---- == Reading Notes == * [[Autocracy|Autocracy]], Gordon Tullock, 1987 * [[InternationalHumanRightsLawAndPracticeInLatinAmerica|International Human Rights Law and Practice in Latin America]], Ellen Lutz and Kathryn Sikkink, 2000 * [[TheToddlerInChief|The Toddler In Chief]], Daniel W. Drezner, 2020 * [[DemocraticBackslidingConflictAndPartisanMobilisationOfEthnicGroups|Democratic backsliding, conflict, and partisan mobilisation of ethnic groups: local government control and electoral participation in Turkey]], Reşat Bayer and Özge Kemahlıoğlu, 2023 * [[DodgingTheAutocraticBullet|Dodging the autocratic bullet: enlisting behavioural science to arrest democratic backsliding]]; Christoph M. Abels, Kiia Jasmin Alexandra Huttunen, Ralph Hertwig, and Stephan Lewandowsky; 2024 * [[DoesVoteBuyingUndermineConfidenceInBallotSecrecy|Does vote buying undermine confidence in ballot secrecy? Theory and experimental evidence]], Sergio J. Ascencio and Han Il Chang, 2024 * [[ATickingTimeBomb|A Ticking Time Bomb: Restrictions on Abortion Rights and Physical Integrity Rights Abuses]]; Nazli Avdan, Amanda Murdie, and Victor Asal; 2024 * [[GenderEqualityAndAuthoritarianRegimes|Gender Equality and Authoritarian Regimes: New Directions for Research]], Sarah Sunn Bush and Pär Zetterberg, 2024 * [[ThereAreNoAdultsInTheRoom|There Are No Adults in the Room]], Daniel W. Drezner, 2025 * [[DefendingTheStatusQuoOrSeekingChange|Defending the Status Quo or Seeking Change? Electoral Outcomes, Affective Polarization, and Support for Referendums]], Bjarn Eck and Emilien Paulis, 2025 * [[DemocraticTrajectoriesInTheThirdWave|Democratic Trajectories in the Third Wave: Aligning Theory and Methods]], Aníbal Pérez-Liñán and Scott Mainwaring, 2025 * [[VisibilityOfAutocratizationAndElectionOutcomes|Visibility of autocratization and election outcomes]] Erin Hern, 2025 * [[ElectoralParticipationAndSatisfactionWithDemocracyInCentralAndEasternEurope|Electoral participation and satisfaction with democracy in Central and Eastern Europe]]; Filip Kostelka, Lukáš Linek, Jan Rovny, and Michael Škvrňák; 2025 * [[DoIWantItIfWellLoseIt|"Do I want it if we’ll lose it?" Democratic preferences of national minorities in federal states]]; Christoph Niessen, Sean Mueller, and Min Reuchamps; 2025 * [[SurveyMeasuresOfDemocraticAttitudesAndSocialDesirabilityBias|Survey measures of democratic attitudes and social desirability bias]], Pedro C. Magalhães and Laurits Florang Aarslew, 2025 * [[DoesMultilevelGovernmentIncreaseLegitimacy|Does multilevel government increase legitimacy? Citizens’ preferences for subnational authority and acceptance of governmental decisions]], Berkay Alica and Arjan H. Schakel, 2025 * [[TheWouldBeAutocratsToolkit|The would-be autocrats’ toolkit: what do incumbents do when they undermine democracy?]], Joep van Lit and Carolien van Ham, 2026 * [[UnityMakesStrength|Unity makes strength: Patterns of democratic resistance against autocratization]], Guido Panzano and Luca Tomini, 2026 * [[InternationalFinancialInstitutionsAndThePromotionOfAutocraticResilience|International Financial Institutions and the Promotion of Autocratic Resilience]], Christina Cottiero and Christina J. Schneider, 2026 ---- CategoryRicottone