Region: Comparative Theoretical General | Page 4

April 2002, Volume 13, Issue 2

A New Look at Federalism: Electoral Rules and Governability

R. Kent Weaver

The effects of electoral systems and of federalism are usually examined separately, but a review of the leading federations shows that it is essential to consider the interaction between the two in designing democratic institutions.

April 2002, Volume 13, Issue 2

Electoral Systems for Divided Societies

Benjamin Reilly

Political scientists have long theorized that the use of “preferential” election systems can help promote successful conflict management in divided societies. As it turns out, evidence from five real-world cases supports this conclusion.

January 2002, Volume 13, Issue 1

The End of the Transition Paradigm

Thomas Carothers

Must countries where authoritarian regimes have fallen therefore be “in transition” to democracy? Many democracy promoters seem to think so. Yet trends on the ground in country after country are raising doubts about whether it is true or useful to think of democracy’s prospects in this way.

January 2002, Volume 13, Issue 1

The 2001 Freedom House Survey: Muslim Countries and the Democracy Gap

Adrian Karatnycky

The year 2001 saw modest gains in the strengthening and consolidation of democracy worldwide, but in predominantly Muslim countries—especially the Arab states—the status of freedom and democracy lags far behind the rest of the world.

October 2001, Volume 12, Issue 4

Public Opinion and Direct Democracy

Direct democracy has come in for praise as being closer to the people’s will than representative democracy. A closer look at the sources of public support, however, reveals some surprises.

October 2001, Volume 12, Issue 4

Defying the Odds

H. Kwasi Prempeh

A review of Building the Rule of Law: Francis Nyalali and the Road to Judicial Independence in Africa By Jennifer A. Widner.

July 2001, Volume 12, Issue 3

Bringing Democracy into International Law

Roland Rich

The evidence clearly points to the growing incorporation into international law of the right to democratic governance.

July 2001, Volume 12, Issue 3

Women and Democracy: Regional Differences and Contrasting Views

Jane S. Jaquette

An increase in women’s political mobilization has accompanied the global trend toward democratization, but women’s movements have taken diverse paths in different regions of the world.

July 2001, Volume 12, Issue 3

Women and Democracy: Cultural Obstacles to Equal Representation

A country’s level of female political representation cannot be explained solely in terms of socioeconomic factors and political institutions. The evidence shows that political culture also matters.

July 2001, Volume 12, Issue 3

Two Models of Democracy

Scott Mainwaring

A review of Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries by Arend Lijphart and Elections as Instruments of Democracy: Majoritarian and Proportional Views, by G. Bingham Powell, Jr.

April 2001, Volume 12, Issue 2

Rediscovering Culture

Michael Novak

A review of Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human Progress, edited by Lawrence E. Harrison and Samuel P. Huntington.

January 2001, Volume 12, Issue 1

Political Competition and Economic Growth

Under many nondemocratic systems, good policy is bad politics, and bad policy helps leaders stay in office. The result is poorer performance in terms of economic growth.

January 2001, Volume 12, Issue 1

The 2000 Freedom House Survey: Gains Offset Losses

Promising advances in the status of freedom in the world during the past year have been matched by significant disappointments.

January 2001, Volume 12, Issue 1

Politics and Development

Yi Feng

A review of Democracy and Development: Political Institutions and Well-being in the World 1950-1990, by Adam Przeworski, Michael E. Alvarez, Jose Antonio Cheibub, and Fernando Limongi.

October 2000, Volume 11, Issue 4

Religion, Democracy, and the “Twin Tolerations”

Alfred Stepan

Are all, or only some, of the world’s religious systems politically compatible with democracy?

October 2000, Volume 11, Issue 4

Comparing East Asia and Latin America: Stirrings of Mutual Recognition

Laurence Whitehead

Global trends toward economic and political liberalization are presenting East Asian and Latin American democracies with increasingly convergent international opportunities and constraints.

October 2000, Volume 11, Issue 4

Comparing East Asia and Latin America: Dimensions of Development

Such a comparison clearly shows a higher prevalence of democracy in Latin America and a better economic performance in East Asia. The two regions are likely to converge on both dimensions, but the gaps will remain.

October 2000, Volume 11, Issue 4

Comparing East Asia and Latin America: Capital Mobility and Democratic Stability

Sylvia Maxfield

Despite the persistent doomsaying about the political consequences of untrammeled international capital flows, financial liberalization may actually contribute to democratic consolidation.

October 2000, Volume 11, Issue 4

Nurturing Nationalism

Ghia Nodia

A review of Jack Snyder's From Voting to Violence.

July 2000, Volume 11, Issue 3

Markets, Law, and Democracy

Charles Fried

The experience of “bandit capitalism” or “tyrant capitalism” in postcommunist societies shows that markets cannot work properly without a community of trust and mutual respect. Such a community can be achieved only where there is a rule of law, applied by able and independent judges.

July 2000, Volume 11, Issue 3

Is Pakistan the (Reverse) Wave of the Future?

Larry Diamond

Pakistan’s descent into authoritarian rule starkly depicts the “triple crisis of governance” that threatens many third-wave democracies. If these problems of governance are not addressed, a new “reverse wave” of democratization could be imminent.

April 2000, Volume 11, Issue 2

Democracy, Dictatorship, and Infant Mortality

A country's political regime, regardless of its level of development, affects its social performance. Fewer children die in democracies than in dictatorships.

April 2000, Volume 11, Issue 2