Democratic transitions in the Arab world
By: edited by Ibrahim Elbadawi and Samir Makdisi
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 339
ISBN-13: 9781316615782; 9781107164208
Subjects: Politics and government; Arab Spring, 2010-; Democracy
Description: "In the wake of the unprecedented uprisings that swept across North Africa and the Middle East in late 2010 and 2011, there was much speculation that these events heralded the beginning of a new age of democratic transition across the region. The result of a four-year research project, this book offers a cross-country analysis of the dynamics of democratic transition and of the state of democracy and authoritarianism from Tunisia, Sudan and Egypt to Syria, Kuwait and Lebanon. Elbadawi and Makdisi identify specific economic, political and social conditions influencing the transition across the region and in each of the individual countries, as well as the requisite conditions for consolidating democracy once the process is initiated. It examines the struggling, halted and painful transitions, where these have for the time being failed, as well as instances in which democratic consolidation can be observed. This is a unique and wide-ranging examination of Arab development and democracy for those examining the fate of authoritarian regimes"--

"In section two we present definitions of the democratic transitions index and highlight preliminary associations and trends for some pivotal variables used in the analysis. Section three presents the empirical model and outlines the econometric strategy for estimating it. Section four presents the core econometric results and tests a set of hypotheses concerning the role of resource rents, home wars and partial democracy, as well as Arab and non-Arab regional dummies"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction / Ibrahim Elbadawi and Samir Makdisi; Part I. Conceptual and Cross-Country Perspectives: 1. Explaining democratic transitions in the Arab world / Ibrahim Elbadawi and Samir Makdisi; 2. Overcoming induced insecurities: stabilising Arab democracies after the Spring / Abdelwahab El-Affendi; Part II. Case Studies: Successful, Protracted and Painful Transitions: 3. Tunisia: the prospects for democratic consolidation / Mongi Boughzala and Saoussen Ben Romdhane; 4. Egypt: the protracted transition from authoritarianism to democracy and social justice / Noha El Mikawy, Mohamed Mohieddin and Sarah El Ashmaouy; 5. Syria: the painful transition towards democracy / Raed Safadi and Simon Neaime; 6. Kuwaiti democracy: elusive or resilient? / Ibrahim Elbadawi and Atif Kubursi; 7. Lebanon: sectarian consociationalism and the transition to a fully fledged democracy / Samir Makdisi and Youssef El Khalil; 8. Sudan: transition to democracy after 2011, a dismembered state navigating uncertainties / Atta Elbattahani; Part III. Concluding Observations: 9. Resistance to and prospects for democracy / Ibrahim Elbadawi and Samir Makdisi.