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| Johns Hopkins Univ. Press |
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January 2007, Volume 18, Number 1
The Perpetual Crises of DemocracyGuillermo O'Donnell
Democracy is and always will be in some kind of crisis, for it is constantly redirecting its citizens' gaze from a more or less unsatisfactory present toward a future of still unfulfilled possibilities.
How Democracies Emerge
- The "Sequencing" Fallacy
Thomas Carothers
Many critics of democracy promotion assert that the rule of law and a well-functioning state should be in place before a society democratizes, but this strategy of "sequencing" is based on a set of mistaken premises.
- Lessons from Europe
Sheri Berman
Those who argue that democracy requires preconditions often cite the example of gradual unfolding set by the established democracies. A glance at history, however, shows that even today's most placid democracies have "backstories" as turbulent as anything found in the developing world today.
Charles H. Fairbanks, Jr.
The recent "color revolutions" in the former Soviet Union should lead us to reassess the idea of revolution and also to consider the weaknesses of the concept of "democratic transition."
Political Engineering in the Asia-Pacific
Benjamin Reilly
The 1997 financial crisis undermined the argument for a putative "Asian-style democracy" that prioritized economic development over political liberalization. Yet recent electoral and other reforms have set the stage for the emergence of a genuine "Asian model" of democracy.
The Mexican Standoff
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Taught to Protest, Learning to Lose
Luis Estrada and Alejandro Poiré
A crucial requirement of government by consent is the willingness of defeated candidates and parties to concede when the voters' verdict goes against them. Events in Mexico following its July 2006 presidential election have sorely tested that country's young democracy in this regard.
Supplemental Graphics
- The Mobilization of Distrust
Andreas Schedler
Mexico's system of electoral governance and dispute settlement worked reasonably well, yet it created too much noise and too many needless invitations to distrust. The failures observed were less those of institutions than of actors. The loser reacted deplorably, but none of those involved acted in a manner beyond reproach.
- Looking to the Future
Jorge G. Castañeda and Marco A. Morales
Examining Mexico's electoral rules, political institutions, and the ways in which they interact with one another can tell us much about how current difficulties developed and how they might be resolved.
Thomas B. Pepinsky
When Abdullah Ahmad Badawi succeeded Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister in 2003, many expected far-reaching change in Malaysia. So far, however, turnover at the top has not led to significant democratic progress.
The Case for Presidential Term Limits
Gideon Maltz
Presidential term limits have spread across the world, but in many countries presidents and their allies seek to circumvent or eliminate them. Advocates of democracy must protect this institution, as its role in democratization may be far more powerful than is conventionally recognized.
Pathways from Authoritarianism
Axel Hadenius and Jan Teorell
Does the nature of an authoritarian regime affect the potential for democratic transition? Data since 1972 indicate that some kinds of authoritarian regimes are more likely to democratize than others.
Supplemental Graphic
Candidate Selection: The Choice Before the Choice
Gideon Rahat
Voters casting ballots are an indispensable element of free government, but who decides which names go on those ballots? Although methods of candidate selection have received surprisingly little study by political scientists, they merit the attention of students of democracy everywhere.
Books in Review
- Is China Stuck?
Bruce Gilley
A review of China's Trapped Transition: The Limits of Developmental Autocracy by Minxin Pei.
Election Watch
- Reports on recent elections in Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Congo (Kinshasa), Ecuador, Gabon, The Gambia, Latvia, Madagascar, Montenegro, Nicaragua, Saint Lucia, Tajikistan, Venezuela, Yemen, and Zambia.
Documents on Democracy
- Excerpts from remarks delivered at a memorial for Anna Politkovskaya, the Russian journalist and human rights advocate murdered in Moscow on October 7.
- Excerpts from a statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission, condemning the September 19 military coup in Thailand which ousted Thaksin Sinawatra.
- Excerpts from a December 1 speech by Felipe Calderón, his first address as Mexico's president. (For more information on the controversial presidential election, see "The Mexican Standoff" articles in this issue.)
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