Pluralism by Default: Weak Autocrats and the Rise of Competitive Politics

Pluralism by Default: Weak Autocrats and the Rise of Competitive Politics
ISBN-10
1421418134
ISBN-13
9781421418131
Category
Political Science
Pages
276
Language
English
Published
2015-12-31
Publisher
Johns Hopkins University Press+ORM
Author
Lucan Way

Description

“Pluralism by Default will change the way we understand the emergence of democracies and the consolidation of autocracies.” —Chrystia Freeland, author of Plutocrats Exploring sources of political contestation in the former Soviet Union and beyond, Pluralism by Default proposes that pluralism in “new democracies” is often grounded less in democratic leadership or emerging civil society and more in the failure of authoritarianism. Dynamic competition frequently emerges because autocrats lack the state capacity to steal elections, impose censorship, or repress opposition. In fact, the same institutional failures that facilitate political competition may also thwart the development of stable democracy. “A tour de force brimming with theoretical originality and effective use of in-depth case studies. It will enrich our understanding of post-communist politics and help reshape the way we think about democracy, authoritarianism, and regime change more broadly.” —M. Steven Fish, author of Democracy Derailed in Russia: The Failure of Open Politics

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