Dilemmas Of Democracy And Dictatorship

Author : Michael Radu
Publisher : Transaction Publishers
Page : 450 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2024-06-13
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 1412821711

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Dilemmas of Democracy and Dictatorship by Michael Radu Pdf

The phenomenon of globalization applies to political violence as well as to more benign aspects of life. Most people in the West, as well as the Third World, politicians and media included, are still missing this point. As a result, they are failing to adapt to the new realities--unlike their enemies. Dilemmas of Democracy and Dictatorship is a collection of essays Radu has published over the past decade. Some are opinion pieces; others are academic articles. The topics include political violence and terrorism in general, and in specific areas--Latin America, the Balkans, Turkey, Sub-Saharan Africa, Western and Eastern Europe. Radu discusses the causes and methods of contemporary terrorism, the process of state decay in some African countries, and mentalities and absurdities in Latin and Balkan politics. He also points out Western European illusions, delusions, and attitudes, and reviews American policy and confusion in dealing with the Third World. At times the analysis is political, other times military, and often it is sociological or psychological. In the author's words he is "always politically incorrect." The approach is multidisciplinary. What ties these disparate essays together is Radu's personal experience--both as a field researcher and in a few cases as a participant in ongoing events, and his personal idiosyncrasies, opinions, and perception of areas visited. These essays clearly demonstrate that in the face of globalization the world is not a village but a conglomerate of differences. This volume will be of particular interest to students of political violence, insurgency/guerrilla warfare, and Third World politics, journalists, and policymakers. Michael S. Radu is senior fellow and co-chairman of the Center on Terrorism at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia. Educated in communist Romania and at Columbia University, he has taught in the United States and South Africa. He has traveled to over forty countries doing research on local politics and political violence and has served as electoral observer in four countries, including as a UN observer in Cambodia. He is the author or editor of ten books.

Author : Michael Radu
Publisher : Transaction Pub
Page : 427 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0765803135

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Dilemmas of Democracy & Dictatorship by Michael Radu Pdf

The phenomenon of globalization applies to political violence as well as to more benign aspects of life. Most people in the West, as well as the Third World, politicians and media included, are still missing this point. As a result, they are failing to adapt to the new realities--unlike their enemies. Dilemmas of Democracy and Dictatorship is a collection of essays Radu has published over the past decade. Some are opinion pieces; others are academic articles. The topics include political violence and terrorism in general, and in specific areas--Latin America, the Balkans, Turkey, Sub-Saharan Africa, Western and Eastern Europe. Radu discusses the causes and methods of contemporary terrorism, the process of state decay in some African countries, and mentalities and absurdities in Latin and Balkan politics. He also points out Western European illusions, delusions, and attitudes, and reviews American policy and confusion in dealing with the Third World. At times the analysis is political, other times military, and often it is sociological or psychological. In the author's words he is "always politically incorrect." The approach is multidisciplinary. What ties these disparate essays together is Radu's personal experience--both as a field researcher and in a few cases as a participant in ongoing events, and his personal idiosyncrasies, opinions, and perception of areas visited. These essays clearly demonstrate that in the face of globalization the world is not a village but a conglomerate of differences. This volume will be of particular interest to students of political violence, insurgency/guerrilla warfare, and Third World politics, journalists, and policymakers. Michael S. Radu is senior fellow and co-chairman of the Center on Terrorism at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia. Educated in communist Romania and at Columbia University, he has taught in the United States and South Africa. He has traveled to over forty countries doing research on local politics and political violence and has served as electoral observer in four countries, including as a UN observer in Cambodia. He is the author or editor of ten books.

Author : Gordon Tullock
Publisher : Selected Works of Gordon Tullo
Page : 416 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : IND:30000109190441

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The Social Dilemma by Gordon Tullock Pdf

Volume 8 in "The Selected Works of Gordon Tullock" draws from two highly acclaimed and path-breaking books by Gordon Tullock, The Social Dilemma (1974) and Autocracy (1987). In this work, Tullock explores political market behaviour that is based on conflict rather than on bargaining and thus behaviour that results in wealth reduction rather than in gains from trade. "The Social Dilemma: The Economics of War and Revolution" was written in response to the tumultuous events of the 1960s and 1970s. Specifically, after the constitutional crisis caused by the Watergate scandal, Tullock acknowledged the Hobbesian nature of democracy. He posed that political figures are locked in wealth-reducing circumstances by the nature of the political game and inherent problems found in democracy. In Autocracy, Tullock provides a scientific analysis of dictatorships, using a rational choice model to analyse the behaviour of individuals under autocracy. Whereas most scholars have applied public choice theory only to co-operative, democratic states, Tullock extends the theory into new territory. In addition, his insights contribute to the discussion of pressing current issues, such as the transformation of autocracies into democracies.

Author : Steven Feldstein
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 345 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2021
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780190057497

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The Rise of Digital Repression by Steven Feldstein Pdf

"A Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Book" -- dust jacket.

Author : Masaaki Higashijima
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2022
Category : Dictatorship
ISBN : LCCN:2021758790

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The Dictator's Dilemma at the Ballot Box by Masaaki Higashijima Pdf

Modern dictatorships hold elections. Contrary to our stereotypical views of autocratic politics, dictators often introduce elections with limited manipulation wherein they refrain from employing blatant electoral fraud and pro-regime electoral institutions. Why do such electoral reforms happen in autocracies? Do these elections destabilize autocratic rule? The Dictator's Dilemma at the Ballot Box explores how dictators design elections and what consequences those elections have on political order. It argues that strong autocrats who can effectively garner popular support through extensive economic distribution become less dependent on coercive electioneering strategies. When autocrats fail to design elections properly, elections backfire in the form of coups, protests, and the opposition's stunning election victories. The book's theoretical implications are tested on a battery of cross-national analyses with newly collected data on autocratic elections and in-depth comparative case studies of the two Central Asian republics--Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The book's findings suggest that indicators of free and fair elections in dictatorships may not be enough to achieve full-fledged democratization.

Author : Bruce Dickson
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2016-05-16
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780190228576

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The Dictator's Dilemma by Bruce Dickson Pdf

Many observers predicted the collapse of the Chinese Communist Party following the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, and again following the serial collapse of communist regimes behind the Iron Curtain. Their prediction, however, never proved true. Despite minor setbacks, China has experienced explosive economic growth and relative political stability ever since 1989. In The Dictator's Dilemma, eminent China scholar Bruce Dickson provides a comprehensive explanation for regime's continued survival and prosperity. Dickson contends that the popular media narrative of the party's impending implosion ignores some basic facts. The regime's policies may generate resentment and protest, but the CCP still enjoys a surprisingly high level of popular support. Nor is the party is not cut off from the people it governs. It consults with a wide range of specialists, stakeholders, and members of the general public in a selective yet extensive manner. Further, it tolerates and even encourages a growing and diverse civil society, even while restricting access to it. Today, the majority of Chinese people see the regime as increasingly democratic even though it does not allow political competition and its leaders are not accountable to the electorate. In short, while the Chinese people may prefer change, they prefer that it occurs within the existing political framework. In reaching this conclusion, Dickson draws upon original public opinion surveys, interviews, and published materials to explain why there is so much popular support for the regime. This basic stability is a familiar story to China specialists, but not to those whose knowledge of contemporary China is limited to the popular media. The Dictator's Dilemma, an engaging synthesis of how the CCP rules and its future prospects, will enlighten both audiences, and will be essential for anyone interested in understanding China's increasing importance in world politics.

Author : Daron Acemoglu,James A. Robinson
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 444 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0521855268

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Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy by Daron Acemoglu,James A. Robinson Pdf

This book develops a framework for analyzing the creation and consolidation of democracy. Different social groups prefer different political institutions because of the way they allocate political power and resources. Thus democracy is preferred by the majority of citizens, but opposed by elites. Dictatorship nevertheless is not stable when citizens can threaten social disorder and revolution. In response, when the costs of repression are sufficiently high and promises of concessions are not credible, elites may be forced to create democracy. By democratizing, elites credibly transfer political power to the citizens, ensuring social stability. Democracy consolidates when elites do not have strong incentive to overthrow it. These processes depend on (1) the strength of civil society, (2) the structure of political institutions, (3) the nature of political and economic crises, (4) the level of economic inequality, (5) the structure of the economy, and (6) the form and extent of globalization.

Author : Ronald Wintrobe
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 404 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2000-09-25
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0521794498

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The Political Economy of Dictatorship by Ronald Wintrobe Pdf

This book uses rational choice theory to understand the behaviour of dictators.

Author : Steven Levitsky,Daniel Ziblatt
Publisher : Crown
Page : 321 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2019-01-08
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781524762940

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How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky,Daniel Ziblatt Pdf

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Comprehensive, enlightening, and terrifyingly timely.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) WINNER OF THE GOLDSMITH BOOK PRIZE • SHORTLISTED FOR THE LIONEL GELBER PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • Time • Foreign Affairs • WBUR • Paste Donald Trump’s presidency has raised a question that many of us never thought we’d be asking: Is our democracy in danger? Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt have spent more than twenty years studying the breakdown of democracies in Europe and Latin America, and they believe the answer is yes. Democracy no longer ends with a bang—in a revolution or military coup—but with a whimper: the slow, steady weakening of critical institutions, such as the judiciary and the press, and the gradual erosion of long-standing political norms. The good news is that there are several exit ramps on the road to authoritarianism. The bad news is that, by electing Trump, we have already passed the first one. Drawing on decades of research and a wide range of historical and global examples, from 1930s Europe to contemporary Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela, to the American South during Jim Crow, Levitsky and Ziblatt show how democracies die—and how ours can be saved. Praise for How Democracies Die “What we desperately need is a sober, dispassionate look at the current state of affairs. Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, two of the most respected scholars in the field of democracy studies, offer just that.”—The Washington Post “Where Levitsky and Ziblatt make their mark is in weaving together political science and historical analysis of both domestic and international democratic crises; in doing so, they expand the conversation beyond Trump and before him, to other countries and to the deep structure of American democracy and politics.”—Ezra Klein, Vox “If you only read one book for the rest of the year, read How Democracies Die. . . .This is not a book for just Democrats or Republicans. It is a book for all Americans. It is nonpartisan. It is fact based. It is deeply rooted in history. . . . The best commentary on our politics, no contest.”—Michael Morrell, former Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (via Twitter) “A smart and deeply informed book about the ways in which democracy is being undermined in dozens of countries around the world, and in ways that are perfectly legal.”—Fareed Zakaria, CNN

Author : Barrington Moore
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 559 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 1984
Category : Electronic
ISBN : OCLC:60900653

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Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy by Barrington Moore Pdf

Author : Jessica L. P. Weeks
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Page : 265 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2014-09-08
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780801455230

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Dictators at War and Peace by Jessica L. P. Weeks Pdf

Why do some autocratic leaders pursue aggressive or expansionist foreign policies, while others are much more cautious in their use of military force? The first book to focus systematically on the foreign policy of different types of authoritarian regimes, Dictators at War and Peace breaks new ground in our understanding of the international behavior of dictators. Jessica L. P. Weeks explains why certain kinds of regimes are less likely to resort to war than others, why some are more likely to win the wars they start, and why some authoritarian leaders face domestic punishment for foreign policy failures whereas others can weather all but the most serious military defeat. Using novel cross-national data, Weeks looks at various nondemocratic regimes, including those of Saddam Hussein and Joseph Stalin; the Argentine junta at the time of the Falklands War, the military government in Japan before and during World War II, and the North Vietnamese communist regime. She finds that the differences in the conflict behavior of distinct kinds of autocracies are as great as those between democracies and dictatorships. Indeed, some types of autocracies are no more belligerent or reckless than democracies, casting doubt on the common view that democracies are more selective about war than autocracies.

Author : Michael Albertus,Victor Menaldo
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 325 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2018-02
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781107199828

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Authoritarianism and the Elite Origins of Democracy by Michael Albertus,Victor Menaldo Pdf

Provides an innovative theory of regime transitions and outcomes, and tests it using extensive evidence between 1800 and today.

Author : Anne Meng
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 277 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2020-08-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781108834896

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Constraining Dictatorship by Anne Meng Pdf

Examining constitutional rules and power-sharing in Africa reveals how some dictatorships become institutionalized, rule-based systems.

Author : Claude Lefort
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : History
ISBN : 0231133006

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Complications by Claude Lefort Pdf

Complications: Communism and the Dilemmas of Democracyties together the central concerns of the work of Claude Lefort over the past half-century. A pivotal figure in French thought, Lefort studied under Maurice Merleau-Ponty, cofounded with Cornelius Castoriadis the influential journal Socialisme ou Barbarie, and famously engaged in a heated debate with Jean-Paul Sartre over the Soviet Union and Communist parties in the West. He has influenced generations of political thinkers and throughout his career has offered invaluable leftist, non-communist critiques of both liberalism and Communism. It is the prevailing belief that the death of communism was a victory for liberal democracy. In Complications, however, Lefort challenges this interpretation and provides new ways of understanding the rise and fall of the Soviet Union and the Communist phenomenon. Lefort engages the work of prominent historians Martin Malia and Francois Furet and shows how their emphasis on "illusion" and ideology led to their failure to understand the logic and workings of the Communist Party, and its impact on Soviet society, and the reasons why so many in the West had Communist sympathies. He also maintains that those who regard the end of Communism as the triumph of markets and "freedom" restrict the scope of democratic thought and the possibility of greater social equality. Lefort contends that Communism must be seen as part of a larger history of modernity and believes that the diagnosis of its death is dangerous to the future of democracy. In the tradition of Hannah Arendt and Raymond Aron, Lefort complicates the pieties of historical understanding and offers a new approach to thinking about totalitarianism and a more vital democracy.

Author : A. Carl LeVan
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 309 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2015
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781107081147

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Dictators and Democracy in African Development by A. Carl LeVan Pdf

This book argues that the structure of the policy-making process in Nigeria explains variations in government performance better than other commonly cited factors.