44: Comparative Democratization

Kurt Weyland, University of Texas at Austin, kweyland@mail.la.utexas.edu

APSA’s Comparative Democratization section invites panel and paper proposals focusing on any aspect of democratization, in particular, and of political regime type and regime change, in general. Research based on a broad variety of theoretical, conceptual, and methodological approaches is welcome. The section is especially interested in well-integrated panels that examine an important substantive or theoretical question from a variety of perspectives or that apply distinct theoretical or methodological approaches.

Topics that may be of special interest include the diffusion of democratization, as exemplified by the recent wave of contention in the Arab world: What mechanisms drive these demonstration and contagion effects, and what domestic and international factors shape their outcomes? What are the prospects for democracy in countries affected by this and earlier diffusion processes? Inversely, what variables account for the differential resilience of authoritarian regimes? Can recent advances in the conceptual and theoretical analysis of authoritarian rule (“competitive authoritarianism,” etc.) answer this question or do they need revision?

Besides these questions related to the broad theme of democratic transition, the issue of democratic quality also is of great importance. Proposals to deal with the difficult issues of measurement, empirical analysis, and causal explanation may be of special interest. Last but not least, the impact of democratization on policy outputs and outcomes has attracted a good deal of scholarly attention. To what extent, for instance, does political regime change prompt equity-enhancing reform and thus help alleviate the dire social problems plaguing many countries? These questions exemplify the kinds of issues and topics that panel and paper proposals for APSA’s Comparative Democratization section could address.