Democracy in the Developing World (ePub)

Until the late 1980s, there were very few democratically elected
governments in the developing world. These areas were characterized
by a range of authoritarian regimes from military administrations
to one-party dictatorships. Over the past decade, however, the
situation has altered significantly and an increasing number of
developing countries have made the transition to democracy. For
some, this process of building and consolidating democracy has been
relatively easy, while for others, it has proved more complex and
harder to sustain.

In this important new textbook, Jeff Haynes seeks to explain why
these differences occur. Adopting a broadly comparative approach,
he begins by examining the theories and practice of democratic
transition and consolidation in the new democracies of Africa,
Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Haynes argues persuasively
that a country's ability to consolidate democracy depends not only
on the interaction of structural and agency factors, but also on a
variety of specific domestic and international concerns which may
help or hinder democratic progress. Using a wide range of case
studies to illustrate his argument, Haynes provides an accessible
and comprehensive analysis of the processes and problems of
democratic consolidation in developing nations.

This is an important textbook that will be invaluable to
students in a variety of areas from politics and comparative
politics to development studies and history.