There are two main types of political regime: democracy and everything else. Historically, democracies have differed from non-democracies in two key ways: (1) they have permitted citizens to remove governments regularly and peacefully, and (2) they have not killed large numbers of their own citizens. Why did the West democratize early? Why has most of the developing world democratized since the 1970s? Under what conditions do regimes (i.e., democracies and non-democracies) achieve long-term stability? [W]
Prerequisites: Govt 101, 102,103, or 104, or instructor’s permission
Van Dyck