The Third Wave of Democratization

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The Third Wave of Democratization is a term coined by Samuel P. Huntington to describe the global trend that has seen more than 60 countries experience democratic transitions since 1974.

Contents 1 Transition 1.1 Causes 1.2 Processes 1.3 Characteristics 2 Consolidation 2.1 Problems 2.2 Elites 3 Criticisms 3.1 Separation of political analysis from socio-economic environment 3.2 Relationship between structure and agent, institutions and process 3.3 Dichotomy between authoritarianism and democracy 3.4 Ideological Bias 3.5 Lack of analysis of external factors

[edit] Transition

[edit] Causes

Five main causative factors are outlined for the Third Wave:

• Loss of legitimacy of authoritarian regimes
• Economic change- there is a correlation between wealth and democracy [This is a contested and very Western idea]
• Catholic church- changes brought about by Vatican II emphasized individual rights
• Regional Contingency Factor (Snowball effect)- also known as demonstrational effects, happens when success of democracy in one country causes other countries to democratize
• External factors- efforts to spread democracy mostly from European institution and the United States

[edit] Processes

• Transformation - A top-down (elite-controlled) change from within government (as postulated by the theoreticians of the Modernization theory some 30 years ago).
• Transplacement - Negotiated reform of regime and government.
• Replacement - Regime breakdown (ruptura) and the collapse of authoritarianism.

[edit] Characteristics

• Uncertainty
• Internal factors paramount - Especially important is role of elites and the ensuing split in the regime.

[edit] Consolidation

[edit] Problems

• Transitional problems (institution-building)
• Contextual problems.
• Systemic problems (performance of new regime)

Consolidation after "two-turnover test" (Huntington 1991)

[edit] Elites

Huntington believed in the importance of individual agents in the transition to democracy: “democracies are created not by causes but by causers” (Huntington 1991:107). To Huntington the transition was based on elite choice, perception, beliefs and actions, while subsequent consolidation was based on elite pacts and consensus.

[edit] Criticisms

[edit] Separation of political analysis from socio-economic environment

• Poverty, social exclusion and inequality
• Accusations of democracy without citizenship/ of disempowerment
• Role of IFIs

[edit] Relationship between structure and agent, institutions and process

• Overemphasis on agency rather than structure (See Rueschemeyer, Stephens and Stephens 1992)

[edit] Dichotomy between authoritarianism and democracy

• Enclaves of authoritarian power?

[edit] Ideological Bias

• Ethnocentric - "the United States is the premier democratic country of the modern world" and the “major promoter of democratization” (Huntington 1991:30 & 6)
• Endorsement of limited model of market democracy
• Lack of ecological validity in theory, as ethnocentrism means interpretation of third world is bias also.

[edit] Lack of analysis of external factors

General view - Contributory but insufficient condition for democratization US - “the major promoter of democratization” (Huntington 1991:6) or “much more effective at destabilizing democracies than at stabilizing popularly elected rulers” (Borón 1995:213) iii