GV384-6-AU-CO:
Democracy, Dictatorship and Regime Change
PLEASE NOTE: This module is inactive. Visit the Module Directory to view modules and variants offered during the current academic year.
2023/24
Government
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 6
Inactive
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
15
11 May 2021
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
This module studies political regimes and regime change. It will introduce classic theories, current debates, and state-of-the-art tools in the field of democratisation.
While the number of democratic regimes across the globe grew between the mid-1970s and mid-2000s, it has declined in the last decade and, now, democracy seems to be under attack even in some of its oldest bastions in North America and Western Europe.
This raises a number of fundamental questions. What difference does it make to live in a democracy over a dictatorship? How does democracy emerge and what makes it endure? When do democratic revolutions occur? What do the authoritarians do to prevent them? Can democracy be exported? When and how do democracies break down? These are just some of the questions that will be tackled.
Although the module employs historical examples and case studies (e.g., democratisation in Central and Eastern Europe or in Latin America), a particular focus lies on the latest political developments (e.g. the Arab Spring, democratic backsliding in Turkey, the rise of illiberal democracy in Hungary and Poland etc.).
This module aims to provide students with conceptual tools, theories, and methods to make sense of the world’s changing political landscape. By adopting a scientific approach to the study of major political developments and transformations, it seeks to help students develop sound research aptitudes.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the on-going political transformations and challenges to democratic regimes
2. Formulate analytical questions and develop cogent fact-based arguments in relation to the study of major political developments and transformations.
3. Find relevant information on current political regimes, critically assess it, and incorporate it into a coherent narrative.
4. Master complex political realities and abstract concepts.
Syllabus
Week 1 - Introduction: Historical Trends in Democratisation
Week 2 - Democracy: Definitions, Concepts, and Measures
Week 3 - Dictatorships: Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes
Week 4 - Democratisation: Structural Explanations
Week 5 - Democratisation: Agency Approach
Week 6 - Democratisation Paths
Week 7 - Democratic Consolidation: What Makes Democracy Endure?
Week 8 - Political Regimes and Development
Week 9 - Contemporary Authoritarianism: Forms and Tools
Week 10 - Contemporary Challenges and Future Prospects for Democracy
This module is part of the Q-Step pathway. Q-Step is an award which you can gain simply by enrolling on specific modules and will signal to employers your capability in quantitative research. Learn more about the Q-Step pathway and enhance your degree now.
10 x 1hr lectures
10 x 1hr tutorials
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Gunitsky, S. (2018) ‘Democratic Waves in Historical Perspective’,
Perspectives on Politics, 16(3), pp. 634–651. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592718001044.
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Lührmann, A.
et al. (2019) ‘State of the world 2018: democracy facing global challenges’,
Democratization, 26(6), pp. 895–915. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2019.1613980.
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Boese, V.A. (2019) ‘How (not) to measure democracy’,
International Area Studies Review, 22(2), pp. 95–127. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1177/2233865918815571.
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Philippe, S. and Terry Lynn, K. (1991) ‘What Democracy Is…and Is Not’,
Journal of Democracy, 2(3), pp. 75–88. Available at:
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/225590.
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Barbara Geddes, Joseph Wright and Erica Frantz (2014) ‘Autocratic Breakdown and Regime Transitions: A New Data Set’,
Perspectives on Politics, 12(2). Available at:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/43279909?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents.
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Lührmann, A., Tannenberg, M. and Lindberg, S.I. (2018) ‘Regimes of the World (RoW): Opening New Avenues for the Comparative Study of Political Regimes’,
Politics and Governance, 6(1), pp. 60–77. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v6i1.1214.
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Teorell, J. (2010)
Determinants of democratization: explaining regime change in the world, 1972-2006. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511762727.
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Miller, M.K. (2021)
Shock to the System. Princeton University Press. Available at:
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.23943/princeton/9780691217000.001.0001.
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Boese, V.A.
et al. (2021) ‘How democracies prevail: democratic resilience as a two-stage process’,
Democratization, 28(5), pp. 885–907. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2021.1891413.
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Wright, J. (2008) ‘Political Competition and Democratic Stability in New Democracies’,
British Journal of Political Science, 38(2), pp. 221–245. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123408000124.
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Laura K Taylor and Alexander Dukalskis (2012) ‘Old truths and new politics: Does truth Commission “publicness” impact democratization?’,
Journal of Peace Research, 49(5). Available at:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/41721632#metadata_info_tab_contents.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Yes
Yes
No
Dr Edward Morgan-Jones
University of Kent
Reader in Comparative Politics
Available via Moodle
Of 20 hours, 20 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
Government
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