Third World Politics
Chen-shen Yen
Spring 2010
National Tsing Hua University
Democracy
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Three Waves of Democratization
Definition of Democracy
Types of Non-Democratic Regimes
Developmental Perceptions
Dependency Perceptions
Democracy
• Democratic Transformation:
Liberalization, Democratization,
Democratic Transition, Democratic
Consolidation, Deepening of
Democratization and Democratic
Reversal
• Regional Analysis
Three Waves of Democratization
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First Wave
Second Wave
Third Wave
1. Southern Europe
2. Latin America
3. East Asia
4. Eastern Europe
5. Sub-Saharan Africa
Author’s Definition of Democracy
• Regular, competitive elections
• Free participation of individual
leaders and groups in the electoral
and political process
• Democratic leaders and institutions
being autonomous
Types of Non-Democratic Regimes
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Communist Governments
Non-Communist One-Party States
Personalist Regimes
Military Regimes
Developmental Perspectives
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Factors leading to democracy
1. good political leadership
2. political culture conducive to democracy
3. long-term increases in wealth
Developmental Perspectives
Seymour Martin Lipset’s Theory on Wealth
1. Only a rich economy makes high levels of
literacy, education and exposure to mass
media possible.
2. An affluent economy can mitigate political
tensions through providing alternative
opportunities for unsuccessful political
leaders.
Developmental Perspectives
Seymour Martin Lipset’s theory on wealth
3. A wealthy, complex economy cannot be
governed efficiently by authoritarian means;
rules and regulations must be based on the
consent of the affected.
4. A state with a wealthy economy tends to have
fewer poor people because income is
distributed more equally than in unprosperous
countries
Developmental Perspectives
• Samuel P. Huntington’s preconditions for
democracy
• 1. Choices made by political elites (zone of
transition)
• 2. Pro-democracy pressures exerted by a wellorganized middle class (social structure)
• 3. External pressures on non-democratic
regimes (international environment)
• 4. Cultural factors of a society conducive to
democracy (cultural
Dependency Perspectives
• 1. Strong civilian control over the armed
forces;
• 2. enhanced concern for human rights,
economic equity, social justices and the
rule of law;
• 3. greatly increased political participation
by the poor, minority ethnic groups,
women and young people
Democratic Transformation
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1. Liberalization
2. Democratization
3. Democratic Transition
4. Democratic Consolidation
5. Deepening of Democratization
6. Democratic Reversal
Regional Analysis
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Latin America and the Caribbean
Sub-Saharan Africa
The Middle East and North Africa
South Asia
East and Southeast Asia