COLL: COMPARATIVE DEMOCRATIZATION

This is an undergraduate colloquium that examines the important debates and research on democratization, defined as the change in a political regime within a modern state from dictatorship to democracy. Scholars have described democratization as the principal global political development of the 21st century. The emergence, endurance, and erosion of democracy are also some of the most extensively researched and debated topics in modern comparative political science.

We will start with defining the concept of democracy and discuss different measures of democracy. We then explore the different explanations of why countries become democratic: which include economic, cultural, political, and international factors. We also examine the challenges new democracies face, including the management of ethnic diversity, and institutional design (constitutions, electoral systems, civilian control). Finally, we assess the causes and implications of the global “democratic recession” in the early 21st century.