Civil Society Democratization

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course will serve as an introduction to the vast literature on democratization in comparative politics. Democratization is studied here from the perspective of the transition and consolidation processes of the late 20th century. The principal goal of the course is to understand the social, economic, cultural, institutional and political conditions, both domestic and international, that help explain democratic development and, in particular, the multifaceted problems of transition and consolidation of democracy. We shall also consider the reasons for the more recent resurgence of various forms of authoritarianism.