Democratic Transitions Lecture Notes

Flashcards summarizing key vocabulary terms related to democratic transitions, collective action, and relevant historical events as covered in the lecture.

Democratic Transition

The process through which a country moves from an authoritarian regime to a democratic form of governance.

Bottom-Up Transition

A type of transition where the populace rises to overthrow an authoritarian regime, often through popular revolutions.

Top-Down Transition

A type of transition initiated by the current authoritarian elite who introduce reforms leading to democratization.

Perestroika

A policy introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev aimed at economic restructuring to liberalize the Soviet economy.

Glasnost

A policy of openness introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev aimed at increasing political openness in the Soviet Union.

Public Good

A good that is nonexcludable and nonrivalrous, meaning it is available for everyone to use and consumption by one individual does not reduce availability to others.

Collective Action Problem

Occurs when individuals in a group have little incentive to contribute to a public good, leading to underprovision of that good.

Preference Falsification

The act of individuals misrepresenting their true preferences in public due to fear of repercussions.

Revolutionary Threshold

The point at which an individual is willing to participate in a protest or revolution.

Revolutionary Cascade

A chain reaction of participation where one person's involvement encourages others to join.

Tipping Models

Theoretical frameworks that explain how a small initial participation can lead to a large-scale protest or revolution.

Demonstration Effect

A phenomenon where the success of reform in one country inspires similar movements in other countries.

Liberalization

The process of loosening restrictions and allowing for increased political freedom within an authoritarian regime.

Hard-Liners and Soft-Liners

Hard-liners are authoritarian elites who oppose reform, while soft-liners advocate for gradual liberalization and broader political participation.

Roundtable Talks

Negotiations between opposing political groups, often leading to democratic reforms, exemplified by events in Poland in 1989.

Incomplete Information Game

A game where players do not have full knowledge of the characteristics or preferences of other players, complicating decision-making.

Expected Payoff

The anticipated return of a particular choice, calculated by considering different outcomes and their probability.

Collective Action Theory

A theoretical framework that analyzes how groups can overcome obstacles to act together for common goals.