Regime Transitions Flashcards
Waves of
Democratization
First wave of democratization, 1828-1926
First reverse wave, 1922-1942
Second wave of democratization, 1943-1962
Second reverse wave, 1958-1975
Third wave of democratization, 1974-
Bottom-Up
Democratic
Transition
When the people rise up to overthrow an authoritarian regime in a popular revolution
Top-down democratic transition
When the dictatorial ruling elite introduces liberalizing reforms that ultimately lead to democratic transition
Liberalization
A controlled opening of the political space
1. Formation of political parties
2. Holding elections
3. Writing a constitution
4. Establishing a judiciary
5. Opening a legislature
Collective Action
Theory
The pursuit of some objective, typically the provision of a public good, by a group of individuals
Public Good
A good that is nonexcludable and nonrivalrous
Non-excludability
When no one can be excluded from consuming it
Non-rivalrous
When its consumption by one individual does not reduce the amount available for consumption by other individuals
Free-Rider Problem
Individual members of a group often have little incentive to contribute to the provision of a public good that will benefit all members of the group
Preference
Falsification
Not revealing one’s true preferences
Revolutionary
Threshold
The size of a protest at which an individual is willing to participate
Revolutionary
Cascade
When one person’s participation triggers the participation of another, which triggers the participation of another
Soft-Liners
prefer to liberalize and broaden the social base of the dictatorship to gain allies, strengthen their position against the hard liners, and manage opposition groups
Hard-Liners
are satisfied with the status-quo
