Dilemmas of Democratic Consolidation: A Game-Theory Approach
Jay Ulfelder | | ISBN: 978-1-935049-18-0 $59.95 |
| 2010/177 pages/LC: 2010005300 |
DESCRIPTION
Why have so many attempts at democracy in the past half-century failed? Confronting this much discussed question, Jay Ulfelder offers a novel explanation for the coups and rebellions that have toppled fledgling democratic regimes and that continue to threaten many new democracies today.
Ulfelder draws on an original dataset of 110 democratic failures spanning 1955–2007 and also presents analytic narratives for six cases (Cyprus, Fiji, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, and Venezuela) to illustrate why some governments survive while others collapse. Focusing on political parties and the military as key players in the "democracy game," he sheds light on the pathways by which new democracies slide all too often from founding elections to polarization and breakdown.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jay Ulfelder is director of research for the Political Instability Task Force at Science Applications International Corporation.
CONTENTS
- Introduction.
- The Democracy Game.
- How Fragile Is Democracy? Patterns in Cross-National Data.
- How Does Democracy Break Down? Evidence from Random Narratives.
- Exploring Confounding Cases.
- Implications for Democracy Promotion.
- Conclusion.
- Appendix: Episodes of Democracy, 1995-2007
"A readable, well-written book that asks a very interesting question and takes a fruitful, multimethod approach to advancing the study of democratization."—Scott Moser, Perspectives on Politics
"Clear and approachable theory, analysis, and case studies.... Ulfelder's original cross-national dataset of democratic failures is also a strong contribution."—Gretchen Casper, Pennsylvania State University