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This study examines the process of democratic political consolidation as seen in Portugal. It considers how, by solving problems and fulfilling expectations, Portugal’s relatively new democratic regime has improved its chances for long-term durability. As Maravall has suggested, once democracies are re-established after a period of dictatorial rule, new problems emerge: the efficiency of the new political system, not just its legitimacy, becomes the main issue. In the case of Portugal, the government has been strengthened by dealing successfully with several different sets of problems. The author analyzes these problems and this process by dividing Portugal’s consolidation period into three recognizable intervals, during which the new regime has had to simultaneously confront political, economic, and military challenges. Scholars in comparative politics and government will find this a useful study of democratic development.

The Challenges of Democratic Consolidation in Portugal: Political, Economic, and Military Issues, 1976-1991

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This unique and detailed analysis assesses the historical and contemporary factors involved in the democratic consolidation in HUngary, the Czech Republic, and Romania, with an emphasis on the influence of the communist legacy on the process. Contrary to common beliefs, the three countries’ experience of Habsburg, Ottoman, Fascist, and Communist rule forms a sound base of shared historical experience and invites important investigation.

Democratic Consolidation in Eastern Europe

Political Parties and the Quest for Democratic Consolidation in Zambia

The 1996 general elections and democratic consolidation in Ghana

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This book addresses the question of military disengagement from politics in states emerging from prolonged cycles of military intervention in politics. The case of El Salvador is particularly interesting, given the decades of repeated intervention by the Salvadoran military. These cycles of military intervention indicate that intervention in politics is seen by the military as part of its job.

Military Disengagement and Democratic Consolidation in Post-military Regimes: The Case of El Salvador

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This volume consists of twenty studies on problems related to “transition to democracy” in central and eastern Europe during the decade following the collapse of communist states. The book focuses on preconditions and problems of transitions, case studies, patterns of performance and consolidation and inter-regional comparative aspects.

Perspectives on Democratic Consolidation in Central and Eastern Europe

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How does a political regime evolve? How (and when) does an old regime turn itself into a new one? When does a political change occur? What is the first thing to change in a political transformation and what is the degree and the speed of this change? What are the causes of this transformation? And when exactly does this change end? When the new regime is completely established? What concepts can we use to understand each moment of the political transition? How can we think about the whole process? In 2005, Brazil completes twenty continuous years of civil government, a striking exception in the country’s history, all of then, except one, chosen by direct elections. The long transition from the dictatorial regime to a non-dictatorial one (not necessarily democratic) begin in 1974. Fifteen years after, in 1989, a new stage in this process begins, overcoming the instability of the national political scene. From this moment on, the consolidation of democracy becomes the central problem of the national political agenda. There are many ways of telling and explaining this history. This book presents a survey of the different interpretations of this important period of Brazilian history and, at the same time, outlines some criticisms on the mainstream interpretations in Brazilian Political Science.

Political Transition And Democratic Consolidation: Studies on Contemporary Brazil

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In The Politics of Democratic Consolidation, a distinguished group of internationally recognized scholars focus on four nations of Southern Europe — Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece — which have successfully consolidated their democratic regimes. Contributors are P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, Richard Gunther, Hans-Jürgen Puhle, Edward Malefakis, Juan J. Linz, Alfred Stepan, Felipe Agüero, Geoffrey Pridham, Sidney Tarrow, Leonardo Morlino, José R. Montero, Gianfranco Pasquino, and Philippe C. Schmitter.

The Politics of Democratic Consolidation: Southern Europe in Comparative Perspective

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Since 1974 there has been an unprecedented wave of democratization in the world. This trend has been particularly extensive in South America. But the problems confronting these new democracies are staggering, and the prospect for building consolidated democratic regimes are far from uniformly good. Focusing primarily on recent South American cases, “Issues in Democratic Consolidation” examines some of the difficulties of constructing consolidated democracies and provides a critical examination of the major issues involved. A prominent theme running through this collection is that the transitions from authoritative rule to civilian government may be arrested by political, economic and social constraints. The articles contain analyses of the varied modalities and complex processes related to the transitions. The first transition begins with the initial stirrings of crisis under authoritarian rule that generate some form of political opening and greater respect for basic civil rights, and ends with the establishment of a government elected in an open, competitive contest. The volume’s primary focus, however, is on the second transition, which begins with the inauguration of a democratic government and ends – if all goes well – with the establishment of a consolidated democratic regime.

Issues in Democratic Consolidation: The New South American Democracies in Comparative Perspective

The Sources of Democratic Consolidation