Democracy Dictatorship And Development

Questions regarding the economic consequences of various forms of regime have puzzled development researchers for many years. This book examines the theoretical debate as a starting-point for in-depth case-studies of four countries: India, China, Taiwan and Costa Rica. The case studies are used as a basis for a number of new conclusions about the circumstances under which a specific form of regime has certain consequences for economic development. The implications of these results for other third-world countries, democratic and authoritarian, are addressed in the final chapter.

The explosive spread of democracy has radically transformed the international political landscape and captured the attention of academics, policy makers, and activists alike. With interest in democratization still growing, Nathan J. Brown and other leading political scientists assess the current state of the field, reflecting on the causes and diffusion of democracy over the past two decades. The volume focuses on three issues very much at the heart of discussions about democracy today: dictatorship, development, and diffusion. The essays first explore the surprising but necessary relationship between democracy and authoritarianism; they next analyze the introduction of democracy in developing countries; last, they examine how international factors affect the democratization process. In exploring these key issues, the contributors ask themselves three questions: What causes a democracy to emerge and succeed? Does democracy make things better? Can democracy be successfully promoted? In contemplating these questions, The Dynamics of Democratization offers a frank and critical assessment of the field for students and scholars of comparative politics and the political economy of development. Contributors: Gregg A. Brazinsky, George Washington University; Nathan J. Brown, George Washington University; Kathleen Bruhn, University of California at Santa Barbara; Valerie J. Bunce, Cornell University; José Antonio Cheibub, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Bruce J. Dickson, George Washington University; M. Steven Fish, University of California at Berkeley; John Gerring, Boston University; Henry E. Hale, George Washington University; Susan D. Hyde, Yale University; Craig M. Kauffman, George Washington University; Staffan I. Lindberg, University of Florida; Sara Meerow, University of Amsterdam; James Raymond Vreeland, Georgetown University; Sharon L. Wolchik, George Washington University

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.

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

Is democracy or dictatorship more successful in promoting economic and social development? This book investigates the influence that a regime type has on economic and social development. Statistical investigation showed that, during the 1830-1950 period, democracies were much more successful than dictatorships in promoting economic growth. However, in the last sixty years, dictatorships achieved developmental results that were equivalent to democracies. Dictatorships were even more successful than democracies in promoting GDP growth. Surprisingly, among regime subtypes, communist dictatorships were the most successful in advancing economic and social development. Even today, China - one of the last communist dictatorships - is the most successful country in promoting economic growth. This book argues that the main factor that caused this success was the strong role of the state in promoting development. The book also identifies the main factors that caused the collapse of the communist regime in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. The book is written mainly for people in academia but also for people who are interested in relationship between political regime and development.

"An examination of how dictators and democrats in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand built and sustained pro-growth political coalitions"--

Examines impact of political regimes on economic development between 1950 and 1990.

The relationship between economic development and political systems is of major importance in today's rapidly changing world. This is the issue addressed in this volume by an international team of academics drawn from the social sciences. The chapters range from a theoretical exploration of the measurement of development and collective well-being under both democracy and dictatorship to case studies of the workings of different political regimes around the world. Of particular interest are models of political and economic equilibrium in procedural democracies and the detailed exploration of the working of economic systems that have operated as formal democracies for some time. Specialists in comparative analysis will find the chapters on the prospects for democracy and development in countries such as China, South Africa and eastern Europe of special interest.