Author: Jan Erk | Journal of Democracy

Jan Erk is associate professor of comparative politics at Leiden University. His books include The Paradox of Federalism: Does Self-Rule Accommodate or Exacerbate Ethnic Divisions? (2012, edited with Lawrence M. Anderson).

July 2014, Volume 25, Issue 3

Is Small Really Beautiful? The Microstate Mistake

Jan Erk
Wouter Veenendaal

Tiny countries have come in for praise as miniature models of democracy, but closer examination tells a mainly more somber tale.