The 2010s was a critical period in the continuing, established trend of the spread of democracy worldwide: from the Arab Spring countries of Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Yemen to the unfolding turmoil of Myanmar and Ukraine, social mobilization against autocratic, corrupt, or military regimes has precipitated political transitions that are characteristic of "democratization."
This volume features contributions by top scholars of democracy and democratization processes from around the world that reopens and revives transitology theory, exploring the factors that lead to the demise of autocracy, the pathways and processes of change, and the choice for an eventual consolidation of democracy.
The essays, written by democratization specialists, tackle the series of questions raised by a body of literature that remains highly useful to understand contemporary political turbulence and transformation. It considers a number of crucial issues:
- Can democratization processes be studied regardless of whether they actually arrive in a consolidated democracy as an outcome?
- Can political and socioeconomic transitions be systematised beyond their own contexts and specificities?
- What are the implications for international democracy-building assistance?
This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners of governance and democratization, comparative politics, and international relations.
