1. Chapter 11 Regime Transitions Comparative Politics: Structures and Choices 2e By Lowell Barrington

2. Learning Objectives  Define key concepts such as regime transition, democratic breakdown, and democratization.  Discuss why democratization can be destabilizing for a country.  Describe the characteristics of a consolidated democracy.  Summarize the major explanations that focus on structures and choices of democratization.  Outline the historical and recent experiences with regime transition in the Topic in Countries cases.

3. Regime Transition  Liberalization  Democratization  Democratic Breakdown Fig. 11.1 The Continuum from Authoritarian to Democratic Systems

4. Regime Transition  Democratization  Waves of Democratization  Democratization wave  Reverse wave  Stages of Democratization  The Breakdown of the Nondemocratic System  Establishment of the Democratic System  Consolidation of Democracy

5. Think and Discuss Which of the indicators of democratic consolidation would most convincingly indicate that a democracy is consolidated? Why?

6. Regime Transition  Democratic Breakdown (Linz)  Crisis stage  Breakdown stage  Reequilibration

7. Think and Discuss Could democracy possibly break down in the United Kingdom? In the United States? How?

8.  Structure Versus Choice and Internal Versus External Understanding Regime Transitions Fig. 11.3 Categorizing Structural and Choice Variables

9. Understanding Regime Transitions  Internal Structural Explanations of Democratization  Economic Structure  Political Culture  Identity Structure  Political Structures: The Institutional Arrangements of the New Democracy

10. Understanding Regime Transitions  External Structural Explanations of Democratization  The Importance of the International Polar System  Imposition Through Conquest  Global Economic Structure  International Organizations and Their Membership Rules  IGOs and NGOs  Demonstration Effects (“Contagion”)

11. Understanding Regime Transitions  Internal Choice Explanations of Democratization  Leadership and Elite Choices in the Nondemocratic System Breakdown Stage  Leadership and Elite Choices in the Establishment and Consolidation Stages  Pacts

12. Think and Discuss Pacts are, in many ways, undemocratic. They involve a small group of individuals deciding both the institutional arrangements of a new democracy and key economic and social policies. Is it good to build a new democracy in such an undemocratic fashion? Why?

13. Understanding Regime Transitions  External Choice Explanations of Democratization  Role of individuals outside the country  Who was most responsible for ending Communism in Eastern Europe: Reagan, Gorbachev, or John Paul II?  Triggering Events  This concept addresses the issue of timing rather than underlying causes  What is the “spark” that lights the “fuel” of structural and choice factors?

14. Understanding Regime Transitions  Structural and Choice Explanations of Democratic Breakdown  Some of the factors that can bring democracy to a country can lead it to break down  What makes elites and masses turn away from democracy?  Combining Structural and Choice Arguments

15. Topic in Countries  The United Kingdom  Gradual evolution from strong monarchy to consolidated democracy over several hundred years  Germany  Externally imposed democracy after WWII; today a highly consolidated democracy  India  Democratic system since its independence from the British

16. Topic in Countries  Mexico  Democratization mirrored economic and social developments; large role of external factors  Brazil  Top-down management of democratization; not yet consolidated, but has survived numerous challenges  Nigeria  Currently on 4 th attempt at democratization; case highlights importance of tackling corruption

17. Topic in Countries  Russia  Functional democracy during 1990s, with creeping authoritarianism following the Putin’s win in the 2000 presidential election  China  No significant experience with democratization; economic liberalization may lead to political liberalization, but cannot predict when  Iran  Demographic shifts since the Revolution of 1979 favor democratization, although hard-liners have held on to their significant institutional power

18. Think and Discuss What lesson can be learned from India to better understand democratization? Is this lesson applicable to other cases?