The Sources of Democratic Consolidation
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Published: January 2002
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 288
ISBN-13: 9780801439476
Subjects: Political parties; Political structures: democracy; Political aspects; Political Ideologies - Democracy; Political Science; Politics / Current Events; Spain; Politics/International Relations; Rational choice theory; History & Theory - General; Political Process - Political Parties; Democratization; General will
Description: "Why did precarious and collapsed democracies in Europe develop into highly stable democracies? Gerard Alexander offers a rational choice theory of democratic consolidation in a survey of the breakdowns of and transitions to democratic institutions." "Through an analysis of developments in Spain, Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, Alexander explores how key political sectors established the long-term commitment to democracy that distinguishes consolidated democracies.".

"Alexander makes a highly accessible rationalist argument about the conditions under which such commitments emerge, arguing that powerful sectors abandon options for overthrowing democratic rules only when they predict low risks in democracy. The author's argument parallels established claims about the predictability that is essential to the development of modern capitalism."--BOOK JACKET.