Pluralism by Default: Weak Autocrats and the Rise of Competitive Politics“Pluralism by Default will change the way we understand the emergence of democracies and the consolidation of autocracies.” —Chrystia Freeland, author of Plutocrats Exploring sources of political contestation in the former Soviet Union and beyond, Pluralism by Default proposes that pluralism in “new democracies” is often grounded less in democratic leadership or emerging civil society and more in the failure of authoritarianism. Dynamic competition frequently emerges because autocrats lack the state capacity to steal elections, impose censorship, or repress opposition. In fact, the same institutional failures that facilitate political competition may also thwart the development of stable democracy. “A tour de force brimming with theoretical originality and effective use of in-depth case studies. It will enrich our understanding of post-communist politics and help reshape the way we think about democracy, authoritarianism, and regime change more broadly.” —M. Steven Fish, author of Democracy Derailed in Russia: The Failure of Open Politics |
Contents
| 1688 | |
| 1695 | |
Perestroika and the Origins of PostSoviet Pluralism | 1738 |
Pluralism by Default in Ukraine | 1754 |
Pluralism by Default in Moldova | 1825 |
Authoritarian Consolidation in Belarus | 1857 |
Consolidated and Unconsolidated Authoritarianism in | 1896 |
Conclusion | 1929 |
Coding Rules for Main Variables | 1951 |
National Identity Organizational Capacity and Regime | 1964 |
Other editions - View all
Pluralism by Default: Weak Autocrats and the Rise of Competitive Politics Lucan Way Limited preview - 2015 |
Common terms and phrases
activists allies authoritarian authoritarian rule authoritarian weakness autocrats Azerbaijan Beissinger Belarus Belarusian Belorusskaya delovaya gazeta bolstered Cambridge University Press central civil society coalition cohesion collapse Communist Party consolidation constitutional contrast countries created democratic deputies divided early economic control efforts electoral elite Embassy Cable emerged February Feduta forces former Soviet Union Freedom House Georgia Gorbachev incumbents institutions Interview Karbalevich 2010 Kazakhstan Kebich Kravchuk Kuchma Kuzio Kyiv Kyrgyzstan late leaders legislature Levitsky Lucinschi Lukashenka Lytvyn Minsk mobilization Moldova Moldova and Ukraine national divisions national identity nationalist officials oligarchs Orange Revolution organizational capacity organized parliament Party of Regions percent pluralism by default polarization political competition post-Soviet president presidential elections prime minister protests Putin regime closure relatively repression RFE/RL ruling party Russia Russophile Score significant Snegur Soviet Union split Tajikistan Transnistria Turkmenistan turnover Tymoshenko Ukraine's Ukrainian Ukrainska Pravda undermined Uzbekistan vote Western Yanukovych Yeltsin Yushchenko Zerkalo nedeli