Failed Transitions

Fifteen case studies by scholars and practitioners demonstrate the synergy between domestic and international influences that can precipitate democratic transitions. As demonstrated by current events in Tunisia and Egypt, oppressive regimes are rarely immune to their citizens’ desire for democratic government. Of course, desire is always tempered by reality; therefore how democratic demands are made manifest is a critical source of study for both political scientists and foreign policy makers. What issues and consequences surround the fall of a government, what type of regime replaces it, and to what extent are these efforts successful? Kathryn Stoner and Michael McFaul have created an accessible book of fifteen case studies from around the world that will help students understand these complex issues. Their model builds upon Guillermo O’Donnell, Philippe C. Schmitter, and Laurence Whitehead's classic work, Transitions from Authoritarian Rule, using a rubric of four identifying factors that can be applied to each case study, making comparison relatively easy. Transitions to Democracy yields strong comparisons and insights. For instance, the study reveals that efforts led by the elite and involving the military are generally unsuccessful, whereas mass mobilization, civic groups, and new media have become significant factors in supporting and sustaining democratic actors. This collection of writings by scholars and practitioners is organized into three parts: successful transitions, incremental transitions, and failed transitions. Extensive primary research and a rubric that can be applied to burgeoning democracies offer readers valuable tools and information.

‘Transition’ has numerous everyday and conceptual meanings yet, while certain transitions are unsettling and difficult for some people, risk, challenge and even difficulty might also be important factors in successful transitions for others.

One of the most pressing questions facing us today is the degree to which the formerly Communist countries of Eastern Europe can bring about true change. While profound economic upheavals have definitely taken place, it remains far from clear whether the basic administrative structures have been overthrown. Indeed, there is a frightening continuity in personnel, as we now see in the many former Communist bureaucrats controlling a rapidly growing number of Eastern European businesses. Failed Transitions is one of the first books to examine the economic and environmental consequences of the overthrow of communism. It is a tale of wasted opportunities, mixed-up priorities, and myopic environmental policies. Roger Manser, a seasoned environmental critic, reveals how, behind the official optimism, governments and administrative agencies are grappling with the unforeseen pressures of the free market with tools more suited to nineteenth-century laissez-faire capitalism. Manser argues that while the reintroduction of the free market in Eastern and Central Europe has curbed certain excesses of communism's polluting economies, it has yet to make any fundamental changes. Indeed, in many cases it has made some matters even worse. Environmentalists are now battling against dangerous nuclear reactors, a dramatic increase in household waste, and perhaps most damaging, Western investors attracted by lax environmental laws. Failed Transitions raises many crucial issues that have been neglected by the unquestioning coverage in our daily press.

This title was first published in 2002: Loosely divided into two sections, this book's first part includes chapters which explore young people's identities and youth cultures in relation to issues such as drug use, education and dance music. In various ways, the authors examine whether there is a need to rethink the existing theories and concepts which have informed the study of youth cultures and identities. The second part to the volume is concerned with how young people experience "transtitions", in relation to such topics as employment, sexuality, and household formation. The chapters also raise theoretical questions on the usefulness of the transition concept in late modernity, illustrating how the reshaping of key institutions in late modernity has had a profound effect on the sorts of transitions young people make today. In addressing such issues the authors examine the potential contribution that concepts around risk and risk society and new Third Way social policy initiatives can have to contemporary youth studies.

The revolutionary political upheavals in Africa in the early 1990s continue to have an impact almost two decades later. This book argues we must look to the defining period of transition to understand how politics in these countries changed since the fall of dictatorial one-party states.

This Element is an excerpt from Managing Leadership Transition for Nonprofits: Passing the Torch to Sustain Organizational Excellence (9780137047659) by Barry Dym, Susan Egmont and Laura Watkins. Available in print and digital formats. How to manage both the predictable and unpredictable challenges that derail so many non-profit leadership transitions. Leadership transitions are rarely smooth. Some difficulties are not so much due to faulty governance or planning but are natural to any major change effort. These can be anticipated and managed. Meanwhile, unforeseen events will inevitably influence board deliberations and progress. Whatever issues arise, a commitment to respond to concerns transparently gives the board credibility and room to operate....

This Harvard Business Review collection features the best in leadership transitions from celebrated author and advisor Michael D. Watkins. Watkins, who has worked for decades guiding senior leaders into new roles to help them and their organizations succeed, is the author of the international bestseller The First 90 Days. With more than 400,000 copies sold worldwide and published in more than 25 languages, the book has become the standard reference for leaders in transition. In addition to the full digital edition (ebook) of The First 90 Days, this collection includes digital editions of Watkins’ other popular works: Your Next Move, which guides professionals through the most common career transitions; Shaping the Game, on how to lead effective negotiations; and his 2012 Harvard Business Review article, “How Managers Become Leaders.” Watkins, whose ideas have guided some of the world’s best leaders through successful transitions, is the chairman of leadership development consultancy Genesis Advisers. Drawing on the perfect combination of research and hands-on experience, he has spent the last two decades working with leaders—both corporate and public—as they transition to new roles, negotiate the future of their organizations, and craft their legacy as leaders. He was previously a professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, Harvard Business School, INSEAD in France, and IMD in Switzerland.

A cross-country examination of authoritarianism and democracy in North Africa and the Middle East.