Event

Kelly McMann, Case Western Reserve University

Title: Democratization Beyond National Capitals

Abstract:  How do democratization efforts in national capitals result in democracy throughout a country?   Studies of democratic transition, which focus on national elites’ introduction of democratic institutions, implicitly assume these institutions will be adopted throughout a country.  Studies of democratic consolidation, which examine socioeconomic conditions conducive to the survival of these institutions, tend to rely on national averages that mask subnational differences.  In fact, two decades of subnational democratization research has shown us that non-democratic enclaves endure even after democratic transition.  This paper expands beyond the current research focus of explaining how these enclaves endure to explaining how they are overcome.  Moreover, the paper reveals multiple pathways by which democracy comes to exist throughout a country. The investigation relies on case studies of first-wave democracies.

Lunch will be served.