GOV 1290 Chapter Way: Gov 1290 Lucan Way Reading
26 Jun 2018
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Why$did$pluralism$emerge$in$so$many$countries$under$inhospitable$
conditions$characterized$by$weak$civil$society,$underdevelopment,$or$lack$
of$democratic$history?$(2)
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Since$the$collapse$of$the$USSR$in$1991,$a$large$number$of$poor$and$
underdeveloped$countries$including$Albania$and$Macedonia$in$Eastern$
Europe;$Kyrgyzstan$and$Moldova$in$the$former$Soviet$Union;$Benin,$Mali,$
and$Senegal$in$Africa$-- witnessed$the$rise$and$persistence$of$competitive$
authoritarian$and$democratic$institutions$familiar$to$western$observers:$
regular$and$competitive$elections,$powerful$legislatures,$and$free$media.$
Indeed,$the$share$of$democratic$institutions$among$low-and$lower-
middle-income$countries$nearly$doubled$from$the$mid-1980's$to$the$
2000s
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Weak$states$are$said$to$facilitate$civil$ conflict$and$thwart$the$
protection$of$individual$rights
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Yet$after$the$Cold$War,$when$multiparty$elections$became$the$minimal$
requirement$for$international$legitimacy,$weak$ruling$parties,$weak$states,$
and$divided$national$identities$also$hindered$efforts$by$authoritarian$
leaders$to$concentrate$power$and$maintain$political$control$-- often$
resulting$in$relatively$open$elections,$powerful$legislatures,$and$serious$
opposition$challenges$(3)
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I$offer$one$of$the$first$book-length$attempts$to$explain$divergent$regime$
trajectories$across$the$region.$In$particular,$I$compare$three$neighboring$
countries$on$the$western$border$of$the$former$Soviet$Union:$Belarus,$
Moldova,$and$Ukraine
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Without$democratic$leadership,$strong$civil$societies,$or$democratic$
histories,$all$three$countries$initially$experienced$ highly$competitive$
political$regimes$with$open$media,$powerful$legislatures,$and$democratic$
transfers$of$power.$Twenty$years$later,$however,$their$trajectories$
diverged$considerably:$Moldova$and$Ukraine$were$the$most$democratic$
countries$in$the$former$Soviet$Union;$while$Belarus$had$one$of$the$most$
closed$autocracies$outside$of$Central$Asia
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Intro
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Lucan&Way&Reading
Thursday,$April$19,$2018
12:28$AM
Document Summary
Why did pluralism emerge in so many countries under inhospitable conditions characterized by weak civil society, underdevelopment, or lack of democratic history? (2) Since the collapse of the ussr in 1991, a large number of poor and underdeveloped countries including albania and macedonia in eastern. Indeed, the share of democratic institutions among low-and lower- middle-income countries nearly doubled from the mid-1980"s to the. "in many cases, democratic contestation has persisted because autocrats have been too weak to steal elections, repress opposition, or keep allies in line -- resulting in pluralism by default" (2) In such cases, leaders lack the resources, authority, or coordination to prevent today"s allies from becoming tomorrow"s challengers, to control the legislature, impose censorship, manipulate elections, or use force against political opponents. (2) "the same factors that facilitate democratic political competition may also thwart the development of stable, well-functioning democratic institutions" (3)
