Democracies, Autocraties and Transitions (73220021FY)
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DAT Final Exam Summary
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Democracies, Autocraties and Transitions (73220021FY)
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Universiteit Van Amsterdam (UvA)
Here is an extensive, clear, and concise summary for the final exam of DAT.
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Democracies, Autocraties and Transitions (73220021FY)
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Lecture 1: Introduction
Przeworski:
Dissatisfaction with the electoral institutions = perpetuates the “rule of the
establishment/elites”.
Nothing undemocratic about the electoral victory of Trump or the rise of populist parties =>
do campaign under the slogan “give power back to the people” = is not anti-democratic.
Dissatisfaction with the results of elections is not the same as dissatisfaction with elections
as a mechanism of collective decision-making. We value the mechanism of elections even
when we do not like their outcomes.
Elections provide the voters with an opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with how
they are governed.
Competitive elections = elections in which those in power lose when a majority of voters so
wish. Not competitive, such as in one-party systems = a trick based on the idea that the
ultimate source of power is the people.
Elections can not be competitive in some occasions because it is dangerous to elites ⇒ poor
would be the highest number and would vote to confiscate property.
Sen:
Idea of democracy as a universal commitment = quite new.
“A country does not have to be deemed fit for democracy; rather, it has to become fit
through democracy.” = against economic or cultural pre-conditions a country should have to
be democratic.
Claimed that non-democratic system are better at bringing about economic development =
Lee hypothesis = example of Singapore.
There is overwhelming evidence to show that what is needed for generating faster economic
growth is a friendlier economic climate rather than a harsher political system.
Democracy:
- Voting and respect for elections results
- Protection of liberties and freedoms
- Respect for legal entitlement
- Guaranteeing of free discussion and uncensored news
Enriches the lives of citizens in three ways:
- Intrinsic value in the life of its citizens = political freedom is part of human freedom in
general ⇒ exercising civils and political rights = crucial part of good lives.
- Instrumental importance in political decisions = in enhancing the hearing that people
get in expressing and supporting their claims to political attention.
- Constructive role = give an opportunity for society to learn and form its values and
priorities.
,Lecture 2: Defining
Democracy
Principles of Comparative Politics - Jorjoliani
State = entity that uses coercion and the threat of force to rule in a given territory.
Government = set of people who run a state or have an authority to act on the behalf of the
state at a particular point in time.
Regime = set of rules, norms, and institutions that determine how government is
constituted, how it is organised, and how major decisions are made.
Plato ⇒ democracy not the rule of the people but rule of the poor and uneducated that
would govern for themselves. But only a pilot can fly the plane. Thought democracy would
lead to tyranny.
Aristotle ⇒ good forms (monarchy, aristocracy and politea) and bad forms of regimes
(tyranny, oligarchy, democracy). Each good forms could be corrupted and become its bad
opposite.
Marx ⇒ democracy and universal suffrage would unchain the class struggle.
Dahl’s View of Democracy and Dictatorship:
Warned against the use of a substantive view of democracy = classifying political regimes by
the outcomes that they produce, not just the institutions they have = too many attributes.
Believed that researchers should employ a minimalist/procedural view = classifies political
regimes according to their institutions and procedures = too few attributes.
Classification along 2 dimensions:
- Contestation: captures the extent to which citizens are free to organise themselves
into competing blocs in order to press for the policies and out- comes they desire.
Form political parties
Freedom of speech and assembly
Free and fair elections.
- Inclusion: who gets to participate in the democratic process.
Barriers to immigration are low and all adult citizens can vote = high score.
“Polyarchy” = political regime with high levels of both contestation and inclusion.
Three measures of Democracy and Dictatorship:
Democracy-Dictatorship (DD) Measure
Democracies as “regimes in which governmental offices are filled as a consequence of
contested elections”.
- Governmental offices: executive and legislature should be elected.
, - Contestation: there should be an opposition with chance of winning. Should have
uncertainty about electoral outcomes, irreversibility of winner, and repeatability of
elections.
Rules for a country to be democratic:
1. The chief executive is elected.
2. The legislature is elected.
3. There is more than one party competing in the elections.
4. An alternation in power under identical electoral rules has taken place.
Difference with Dalh’s = treats regime type as a dichotomy (a democracy or a dictatorship)
whereas Dahl treats regime type as a continuum with strong dictatorships at one end and
strong democracies at the other.
Polity IV
Polity Score for each country ranges from –10 (as autocratic or dictatorial as possible) to 10
(as democratic as possible).
Follows Dahl’s continuum + in providing a minimalist measure.
Polity Score based on 5 attributes:
- Competitiveness of executive recruitment
- Openness of executive recruitment
- Constraints that exist on the executive
- Regulation of political participation
- Competitiveness political participation
By including “constraints that exist on the executive” adds an additional dimension to Dahl’s
concept ⇒ that democratic governments must be limited governments.
Freedom House
A country’s Freedom House score is based on two dimensions capturing a country’s level of
political rights and civil rights.
Freedom of political rights measured on three main categories:
- The electoral process
- Political pluralism and participation
- The functioning of government.
Freedom of civil rights on four categories:
- Freedom of expression and belief
- Associational and organisational rights
- Rule of law
- Personal autonomy and individual rights.
Three measures differ in regard to whether they employ (a) a minimalist/substantive and (b)
a dichotomous/continuous view of democracy.
DD measure and Polity IV = minimalist view of democracy
Freedom House = substantive view.
V-Dem = Measuring Liberal Democracy:
Institutional and procedural prerequisites:
- Elected officials.
- Free and fair and frequent elections.
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