Chapter 15: Changes in the Causes of Democratization Through Time

Barbara Geddes

Changes in the causes of democratization through time What do we now know about the causes of democratization that we did not know nearly 50 years ago when Seymour Martin Lipset (1959) wrote his famous article linking development with democracy? The answer is: surprisingly little. Indeed, some of the things we thought we knew decades ago have been challenged by recent research. Very fine minds have worked on explaining democratization. They have used multiple methodological tools, including in-depth case studies, small-N research designs comparing events in several countries, large-N statistical tests using sophisticated specifications and newly available data sets, economic models, and game theory. And yet, we have accumulated only a small store of knowledge about which most scholars agree. Instead, serious, carefully done research challenges nearly all theories and findings, and they remain contested. In this chapter, I suggest that one of the main reasons for the inability of ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.

• Buy The Book