Lecture 2: Democratization Measuring democracy Flashcards
What are the two dimensions of democracy?
Rule by the people (electoral dimension) and rule of law (liberal dimension).
What are hybrid regimes?
Regimes that have some elements of rule by the people and rule of law but are not fully democratic.
What is the difference between a state, a regime, and a government?
State: territory and institutions, stable over time.
Regime: rules governing power distribution, moderately stable.
Government: leadership running the state, least stable.
What is the minimal procedural definition of democracy?
A political system where powerful decision-makers are selected through fair, honest, and periodic elections with free competition and universal adult suffrage, where parties can lose elections.
What does the expanded procedural definition add to democracy?
Guarantees that make elections meaningful, such as freedom of expression and association.
What is polyarchy according to Dahl (1971)?
Elected officials, free and fair elections, inclusive suffrage, right to run for office, freedom of expression, alternative information, and associational autonomy.
What additional elements do Schmitter & Karl (1991) and O’Donnell (2004) add to democracy?
Absence of reserved power domains and state sovereignty (Schmitter & Karl), and rule of law (O’Donnell).
What is a substantive definition of democracy?
Democracy as a means to desirable outcomes, such as income equality (social democracy).
What is the ‘ladder of abstraction’ in regime definitions?
Democracy can be measured dichotomously (yes/no) or continuously (matter of degree).
What is a concept-tree in measuring democracy?
A hierarchical breakdown from abstract concepts to specific measurable properties.
What are the three phases of democratization?
Democratic transition, democratic stabilization (or consolidation), and democratic deepening.
What is democratic transition?
The shift from autocracy to democracy.
What is democratic stabilization?
The consolidation and stabilization of a democratic regime.
What is democratic deepening?
The gradual improvement in the quality of democracy after stabilization.
What characterized the early third wave of democratization (1974-1989)?
Pacted/discrete transitions in Southern Europe and Latin America, gradual liberalization in Eastern Europe and former Soviet Republics.
What characterized later democratizers (1989-present)?
Imposed or protracted transitions in Africa and some Asian regimes, with elections preceding liberalization.
When is a democracy considered stable?
After at least one or two alternations in power and when it gains legitimacy among citizens, elites, and institutions.
What are challenges in measuring democracy?
Avoiding maximalist and minimalist concepts, redundancy, conflation, and ensuring theoretically justified weighting of indicators.
Definition of a state
State: territory and institutions, stable over time.
Definition of a regime
Regime: rules governing power distribution, moderately stable.
Definition of a government
Government: leadership running the state, least stable.
