The dynamics of democratization: A comparative approach

Book abstract:

This book presents a systematic comparison of three sets of democratisation cases in Europe since 1945: post-war Italy and West Germany; Southern Europe from the mid-70s; and Central and Eastern Europe in the 1990s. It highlights diversities of the historical context, political experience, democratic traditions, economic development and cultural background.

Pridham views the democratisation process as a whole, not just as either democratic transition or subsequent regime consolidation. His main concern is political regime change but other forms of transformation, such as economic or state-building are included in his discussions when these are especially important. He uses the rich diversity of the European experience in this area to apply an 'interactive dynamics' theory of democratisation and proposes this as a means of overcoming the deficiencies of existing theories, which have proved inadequate for explaining the ongoing democratisation and transformation processes in Central and Eastern Europe in particular.

The chapters are: Theory of regime change and interactive dynamics; Historical determinants of democratization; Non-democratic regimes, deconsolidation and authoritarian breakdown; Formal regime change, the constitutional dimension and institutional design; Actors, linkages, and democratization; Economic transformation, policy performance and new regime consolidation; Creating democratic traditions: top-down/bottom-up dynamics on the road to consolidation; Stateness, national identity and democratization; The international dimensions of democratization.

Geoffrey Pridham is Professor of European Politics and Director of the Centre for Mediterranean Studies at the University of Bristol.