PSC 1001 Midterm Regimes and Regime Change

Democracy

• Definition: A political system in which political power is exercised either directly or indirectly by the people; free and fair elections 

• Significance: the benchmark against which authors evaluate recent political developments. They argue that many countries once considered democratic have experienced erosion and moved toward competitive authoritarianism, making the defense of democratic institutions increasingly important.

• Example: The authors describe countries such as Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela as having deteriorated from democracy into competitive authoritarianism, illustrating what democratic decline looks like.

• Inglehart and Welzel

Liberal Democracy

• Definition: a system of political, social, and economic liberties, supported by competition, participation, and contestation. 

• Significance: The most democratic version of a democracy, not only does it have the components of a electoral democracy, but it also has rule of law and checks. The most ideal version of democracy according to democracy indicators around the world like V-Dems. It doesn't allow for an abusive or powerful incumbent to undermine its democratic institutions

• Example: Canada, Germany, Denmark 

• Inglehart and Welzel

Electoral Democracy

• Definition: free and fair election, multiple parties, suffrage

• Significance: Electoral democracy has most of the attributes of a democracy but it lacks rule of law which protects political freedoms. Electoral democracies do not have key aspects that keep the executive from exercising too much power and protection for citizens.

• Example: Hungary holds elections but Levitsky and Way argue that systematic advantages enjoyed by ruling party prevents elections from meeting democratic standards

• Inglehart and Welzel

Democratization

• Definition: process by which a country becomes more democratic through expansion of political competition, electoral accountability and democratic institutions 

• Significance: the global trend that followed the Cold War was initially one of democratization, but that this trend has slowed or reversed in many countries. The authors focus on how some regimes have moved away from democracy rather than toward it.

• Example: Eastern Europe and the Baltics converted from authoritarian to multiparty elections and democratic institutions after cold war

• Inglehart and Welzel

Modernization Theory

• Definition: The theory is that as countries or states modernize they would start to move towards a democracy. As the world becomes wealthier there would be more people pushing for change and desiring self-expression, rather than tradition forms of society.

• Significance: The modernization theory was a western ideal that believed that as the world developed it was gradual move towards Western democracy. This ideal has criticized for its Eurocentric assumptions and single perspective of the world.

• Example: South Korea modernization after the Korean world because of internet connection and tech hub

• Inglehart and Welzel

Authoritarianism

• Definition: a political system in which a small group of individuals exercises power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public 

• Significance: Article argues that authoritarianism has become easier to sustain because of decline of Western democratic pressure. Less costly to be authoritarian. Many autocrats continue to allow some electoral competition because this makes them more legitimate 

• Example: Nicaragua under Daniel Ortega evolved form fragile democracy to full-blown dictatorship through eliminating opposition parties, removing term limits, etc

• Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way

Totalitarianism

• Definition: a non-democratic regime that is highly centralized, seeking to absorb fundamental aspects of state, society, and the economy, using a wide array of institutions 

• Significance: abolishes independent civil society in favor of state-run institutions; relies on violence as a method to preserve extremism 

• Example: Soviet Union under Stalin, Nazi Germany

• Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way

Competitive Authoritarianism 

• Definition: A regime in which meaningful democratic institutional exist and opposition parties can compete but incumbents usually abuse state power

• Significance: Argue that competitive authoritarianism has become one of the most important refine types. Occupies space between democracy and full dictatorship, allowing elections and opposition activity while tilting in favor of incumbents. Authors argue several countries moved from democracy to this 

• Example: Hungary under Viktor Orban became competitive authoritarian when the government packed courts, weakened independent media, manipulated electoral rules, and used state resources to favor the ruling party while continuing to hold competitive elections.

• Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way

Collective Action

• Definition: an activity in which coordination among individuals can lead to achievement of a common objective

• Significance: it is fundamental to political and social life because it allows people to work together to provide public goods, influence policy, and challenge existing political institutions 

• Example: the women’s suffrage movement in the US used collective action to demand voting rights for women, helping to secure it in 1920

• Charlotte Lee

Social Movement

• Definition: a subset of collective action characterized by coordinated, political activity to achieve a goal

• Significance: allow groups to pursue major social and political change through tactics such as mobilization, international influence, and nonviolent tactics 

• Example: US Civil Rights Movement sought equal rights for racial minorities and an end to institutional racism through mobilization outside of a traditional institution Charlotte Lee

Civil Society

• Definition: organizations outside of the state that help people define and advance their own interests 

• Significance: Civil society organizations provide the organizational foundations that help social movements mobilize resources, recruit participants and coordinate political action

• Example: During the US Civil Rights movement Black Churches, HBCUs and the NAACP provided organizational resources and networks that helped sustain the movement

• Charlotte Lee

Non-Violent Protests

• Definition: a method of political struggle in which unarmed people use collective action, including protests, demonstrations, strikes, civil disobedience to achieve goals 

• Significance: Charlotte Lee and Erica Chenoweth emphasize that they are more successful than violent ones. Chenoweth says this is because nonviolent campaigns attract broader participation and are more representative of society. Lee notes that they are perceived as more legitimate because they receive greater public sympathy 

• Example: 1930 Salt March by Mohandas Gandhi against British colonial rule in India Chenoweth

Social Media

• Definition: Interactive online platforms that allow users to create, share, and distribute content while connecting with large networks of other users; many-to-many communication structure rather than one-to-many 

• Significance: helps solve collective action problems by allowing people to find like-minded individuals, spread information quickly, organize protests, and mobilize people. However Tucker et. al emphasizes that it can also be used for misinformation, propaganda, censorship, making its effects on democracy mixed

• Example: During Arab Spring, platforms such as Facebook and Twitter were used to organize protests, spread information and challenge authoritarian governments

• Tucker et. al

Parliamentary Systems

• Definition: a political system in which the roles of head of state and head of government are assigned to separate executive offices 

• Significance: A parliamentary system can make it easier for the government to pass laws and get things done because the executive and legislature usually work together. However, governments can also fall and be replaced quickly if they lose support in parliament, which can make long-term planning and political stability more difficult.

• Example: UK, Japan

• Cynthia McClintock

Presidentialism

• Definition: a political system in which the roles of head of state and head of government are combined in one executive office 

• Significance: The Presidential system is largely less effective because of the separation of powers, but it does grant more stability because of fixed terms and checks and balances. The significance is that it weakens political parties (candidate-centered politics with personal followings; do not depend on party discipline to stay in office).

• Example: US, Argentina, Brazil

• Cynthia McClintock

Semi-presidentialism

• Definition: an executive system that divides power between two strong executives, a president and a prime minister 

• Significance: It combines the stability of a presidential system with a leader elected directly from the people and the effectiveness of a parliamentary system.

• Example: France

• Cynthia McClintock

Single-member district

• Definition: an electoral district with one legislative seat 

• Significance: This system leads to a winner take all system that can eliminate political parties that do not get a majority of seats. This system means that the people may be underrepresented and majorities can be manufactured. (plurality turns into complete control of the seat) This system results in a two party system.

• Example: UK

• Cynthia McClintock

Proportional representation

• Definition: an electoral system in which political parties compete in multimember districts; voters choose between parties, and the seats in the district are awarded proportionally according to the results of the vote 

• Significance: This system allows for more parties to be represented in government. More people can see their interests reflected in government. This system also leads to the formation of coalition governments that have to work together or compromise to enact policy goals.

• Example: Dutch, Netherlands have lots of parties and coalition governments 

• Cynthia McClintock

Runoff elections

• Definition: and electoral system requiring a second round of voting between the top candidates if no candidate wins a majority in the first round 

• Significance: most runoff elections have several democratic advantages in Latin America; increase presidential legitimacy by ensuring majority support, ideological moderation, previously excluded parties can compete; stronger democracy 

• Example:  Strengthens legitimacy of presidents such as Ricardo Lagos in Chile, Michelle Bachelet in Chile 

• Cynthia McClintock

Democratic Backsliding

• Definition: the gradual erosion or degradation of democratic institutions or processes by democratically elected leaders, often through legal and incremental changes that tilt the field in favor of incumbents 

• Significance: Svolik and Stokes both argue this has become the most common form of democratic breakdown in the twenty-first century. It occurs from within democratic institutions 

• Example: Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela who undermined democratic institutions while retaining support from portions of the electorate Svolik and Stokes

Executive takeover

• Definition: Svolik’s term for incumbent-driven subversions of democracy in which democratically elected leaders use their position to weaken democratic institutions and concentrate power 

• Significance: predominant form of democratic breakdown since end of Cold War, ⅘ breakdowns caused by this

• Example: Vladimir Putin in Russia, Erdogan in Turkey and Chavez in Venezuela 

Third wave of autocratization

• Definition: the growing movement of states away from democracy and toward authoritarian regimes

• Significance: an attack on civil society, as well as the individual freedoms of people, links to the retreat of the US from the global stage, also occurring in countries that were considered strong democracies

• Example: Hungary, Turkey

Executive takeover

• Definition: Svolik’s term for incumbent-driven subversions of democracy in which democratically elected leaders use their position to weaken democratic institutions and concentrate power 

• Significance: predominant form of democratic breakdown since end of Cold War, ⅘ breakdowns caused by this

• Example: Vladimir Putin in Russia, Erdogan in Turkey and Chavez in Venezuela

Polarization

• Definition: intense political and social divisions that split society into antagonistic camps and lead voters to prioritize partisan interests over democratic principles 

• Significance: Svolik and Stokes identity this as a major driving force of democratic erosion. Voters more willing to tolerate attacks on courts, elections, and press if those attacks carried out by preferred leaders 

• Example: Venezuela–left -wing voters continued supporting Hugo Chavez even when faces with democratic erosion

• Svolik