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Description
Until recently the spread of democracy was seen as one of most consistent and widespread trends in world politics over the last 200 years. This course provides an introduction to the study of democracy as a political system distinct from other regimes and the question of democratisation - how and why some societies become (more) democratic; why others do not; and how and why democratic gains are sometimes reversed.
It begins by reviewing models and definitions of democracy and debates how we can measure democracy. It considers successful and unsuccessful experiences of democratisation across a range of historical and geographical settings -听 including 19th century and inter-war Europe, post-colonial Africa, Southern Europe in 1970s, post-communist Eastern Europe - and how political scientists have explained them.
It then examines factors that enable some new democracies to succeed and sustain themselves over the long term - and听 why, sometimes democracies, fail. The module concludes by looking at听 recent trends towards stagnation or decline in global levels of democracy, "democratic backsliding"; debates; about democratic stability and "democratic quality" in established democracies; and whether democratic forms can (or should) be extended beyond the level of the nation state.听
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 8th April 2024.
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