Department
of Political Science
Krasnodar State University
Fall 1994
THEORIES OF DEMOCRACY AND DEMOCRATIZATION
It is an interesting and somewhat surprising fact of the modern world that liberal
democracy has become the single most accepted model for organizing and controlling
state power. Democracy has been consolidated (albeit in significantly impaired
versions) in North America, Western Europe, Australia, large parts of Latin
America, and in important parts of Asia. In Eastern Europe and the former Soviet
Union, the governments formed in the aftermath of Communism have committed themselves,
with varying degrees of sincerity, to the establishment of liberal democratic
institutions. Even in South Africa, the two sides of a bitterly contested racial
divide have agreed on the desirability of liberal democracy as the most appropriate
means for constituting political power and resolving conflict.
These developments suggest the importance of studying theories of democracy
and democratization. In this course, we will begin our study by addressing the
crucial question: What is democracy? After examining several of the different
models of democracy, we will move to a consideration of other questions, such
as: Why are some countries democratic, while others are not? Which social conditions
are most likely to promote democracy? Does democracy hinder, or advance, economic
development? How do democracies create a stable and effective system of public
administration? Why has democracy spread to more and more countries over the
last one hundred years? What are the prospects for democracy in Eastern Europe
and the former Soviet Union? By the end of the course you will have a much better
understanding of how Western social scientists have addressed these momentous
issues.
SCHEDULE OF LECTURES AND READINGS
1. What is Democracy? What is "Liberal" Democracy?
United States Information Agency, What is Democracy booklet, 1992
Philippe C. Schmitter and Terry Lynn Karl, "What Democracy Is...and Is Not"
in Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner, eds. The Global Resurgence of Democracy
(Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993), pp. 33-52.
James W. Ceaser, "What is Liberal Democracy?," in Ceaser, Liberal Democracy
and Political Science (Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1990), pp.
5-25.
2. Was Marxism-Leninism Democratic, Or Just a Recipe for Dictatorship?
Neil Harding, "The Marxist-Leninist Detour," in John Dunn, ed. Democracy: The
Unfinished Journey, 508 BC to AD 1993 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992),
pp. 155-187.
3. A Feminist Critique: Does Democratic Theory Ignore Women?
Susan Mendus, "Losing the Faith: Feminism and Democracy," in Dunn, (1992), pp.
207-219.
4. Debates over Parliamentary vs. Presidential Systems and Electoral Systems.
Robert J. Spitzer, President and Congress (New York: McGraw Hill, 1993), pp.
1- 16.
R. Kent Weaver, "Are Parliamentary Systems Better?" Brookings Review (Summer,
1985), pp. 16-25.
Juan Linz, "The Perils of Presidentialism" in Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner,
eds. The Global Resurgence of Democracy (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University
Press), pp. 108-126
Donald Horowitz, "Comparing Democratic Systems" in Diamond and Plattner, pp.
127-133
Seymour Martin Lipset, "The Centrality of Political Culture" in Diamond and
Plattner, pp. 134-137
Juan Linz, "The Virtues of Parliamentarism" in Diamond and Plattner, pp. 138-145.
Aaron Lijphart, "Constitutional Choices for New Democracies," in Diamond and
Plattner, pp. 146-158.
Guy Lardeyet, "The Problem with PR" in Diamond and Plattner, pp. 159-164.
Quentin L. Quade, "PR and Democratic Statecraft" in Diamond and Plattner, pp.
165-170.
Arend Lijphart, "Double-Checking the Evidence" in Diamond and Plattner, pp.
171- 177.
Ken Gladdish, "The Primacy of the Particular," Journal of Democracy (January,
1993), pp. 53-65.
5. Building Democratic Institutions After Communism: The Situation Thus Far
Jan Zielonka, "New Institutions in the Old East Bloc," Journal of Democracy
(April, 1994), pp. 87-104.
6. Economic Systems and Democracy: How Do They Relate to One Another?
Gabriel Almond, "Capitalism and Democracy," PS: Political Science and Politics
(September, 1991), pp. 467-473.
Mancur Olson, "Dictatorship, Democracy, and Development," American Political
Science Review (September, 1993), pp. 567-576.
Angelo Codevilla, "Is Pinochet the Model?" Foreign Affairs, (November/December
1993), pp. 127-140.
7. Dilemmas of Democratization: Or, Why Not All Good Things Go Together...
Philippe C. Schmitter, "Dangers and Dilemmas of Democracy," Journal of Democracy
(April, 1994), pp. 57-74.
Larry Diamond, "Three Paradoxes of Democracy," in Diamond and Plattner, pp.
95- 107
8. The Social Foundations for Democracy: Is Democracy Only
Possible in Rich Countries? Is It a Product of the Workers, the Bourgeoisie,
or Neither?
Seymour Martin Lipset, "The Social Requisites of Democracy Revisited," American
Sociologial Review (February, 1994), pp. 1-22.
Robert A. Dahl, "Why Polyarchy Developed in Some Countries and Not Others,"
in Democracy and Its Critics (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989), pp. 244-264.
John D. Stephens, "Capitalist Development and Democracy," in David Copp, Jean
Hampton, and John E. Roemer, eds. The Idea of Democracy (New York: Cambridge
University Press, 1993), pp. 409-449; and Pranab Bardhan, "Comments on John
D. Stephens, 'Capitalist Development and Democracy'," in Copp, et.al.
9. The History of Democratization: Does it Come in Waves?
Samuel P. Huntington, "Democracy's Third Wave" in Diamond and Plattner, pp.
3- 25.
Charles S. Maier, "Democracy since the French Revolution," in John Dunn, ed.
Democracy: The Unfinished Journey, 508 BC to AD 1993 (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1992) pp. 125-153.
10. Managing Ethnic Conflict in a Democracy: How to Avoid the Yugoslavian Outcome...
Donald L. Horowitz, "Democracy in Divided Societies," Journal of Democracy (October,
1993), pp. 18-38.
11. The Concept of Civil Society: Everybody Talks About It, But do They Know
What It Is?
Krishan Kumar, "Civil Society: An Inquiry into the Usefulness of an Historical
Term," British Journal of Sociology (September, 1993), pp. 375-395.
12. Is Russian Democracy Doomed?
Symposium: "Is Russian Democracy Doomed?" Journal of Democracy, (April, 1994).
Articles: Michael McFaul, "Explaining the Vote;" Vladimir M. Lysenko, "Toward
Presidential Rule;" Peter Reddaway, "Instability and Fragmentation;" Alexander
Tsipko, "A Return to Stability;" Stephen Sestanovich, "A Communist Setback;"
John B. Dunlop, "Zhirinovky's World;" Vladimir Mau, "The Ascent of the Inflationists;"
Charles Fairbanks, "The Politics of Resentment;"
Stephen Sestanovich, "Russia Turns the Corner," Foreign Affairs (January/February,
1994), pp. 83-99.
Yuri N. Afanasyev, "Russian Reform is Dead: Back to Central Planning," Foreign
Affairs (March/April 1984), pp. 21-26.
Timothy J. Colton, "Politics" in Timothy J. Colton and Robert Legvold, eds.
After the Soviet Union: From Empire to Nations (New York: W.W. Norton &
Company, 1992), pp. 17-48.
13. A Look at the Situation in Krasnodar...
John Webb, "Krasnodar: A Case Study of the Rural Factor in Russian Politics,"
Journal of Contemporary History (April, 1994), pp. 229-260.
14. The Future of Democracy in Eastern Europe: Is it Better Off than Russia?
Adam Przeworksi, "The 'East' Becomes the 'South'? The 'Autumn of the People'
and the Future of Eastern Europe" in PS: Political Science & Politics (March,
1991), pp. 20-24
Neil Ascherson, "1989 in Eastern Europe: Constitutional Representative Democracy
as a 'Return to Normality'?" in Dunn, ed. 1992, pp. 221-237.
Giuseppe Di Palma, "Why Democracy Can Work in Eastern Europe" in Diamond and
Plattner, pp. 257-267
Leszek Kolakowski, "The Postrevolutionary Hangover," in Diamond and Plattner,
pp. 268-272
15. The Problem of Corruption: How to Deal With the Threat of "Mobocracy"
Michael Johnston, "Historical Conflict and the Rise of Standards," in Diamond
and Plattner, pp. 193-205.
Robert Klitgaard, "Strategies for Reform," in Diamond and Plattner, pp. 230-246.
16. Liberal Democracy Triumphant, or a New World Disorder?
Marc F. Plattner, "The Democratic Moment" in Diamond and Plattner, pp. 26-38.
Ken Jowitt, "The New World Disorder" in Diamond and Plattner, pp. 247-256.
17. The Future of Democracy in the West: Are Things Safe and Sound in the Heartland?
Charles S. Maier, "Democracy and Its Discontents," Foreign Affairs (July/August
1994), pp. 48-64.