Dr. Shelley Rigger Spring Semester 1996

Chambers 203-A Tuesday and Thursday 10:00-11:15

ext. 2280

Office hours: M, T, Th 2:30-4:30;F 9:00-10:00

home phone: 896-0569

Why should we study democratization?

The late 1980s was an exciting period for students of comparative politics, most of whom believe that democratic nations have many advantages over non-democratic ones. After decades of pessimism, summed up in Samuel Huntington's 1984 statement that "the limits of democratic development in the world may well have been reached," the last years of the decade saw an explosion in the number of countries seeking to become more democratic. Only seven years after he made his gloomy prediction, Huntington himself came out with a new book subtitled "Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century."

Political scientists' fondness for democracy is not entirely ideological or irrational. For example, there is evidence to suggest that human rights are more likely to be respected in democracies, so each new democracy means another nation of people liberated from fear of the state. Historically, democracies have been less likely to go to war (at least with one another) than authoritarian states, so a more democratic world may prove to be a more peaceful one. But democracy is not the answer to everything; it may even exacerbate certain problems. Some democratic governments have proven too inefficient and cumbersome to deal with economic crises or social conflicts. Also, becoming democratic is no guarantee of remaining democratic; "backsliding" is a danger every democracy faces.

This course looks at the recent wave of democratization from two directions. We will study some of the key theories of democratization developed by political scientists, and we will use these theories to guide us through detailed case studies of countries in which the transition to a more democratic form of government is underway: Spain, Chile, Botswana, South Africa and Taiwan. At the end of the course you will have a chance to develop your own case study to critique and supplement our initial theories.

Readings:

The reading list for this course is extensive, but the only way to cover a variety of theories and cases is to read several books. There are three theoretical texts: Georg Sorensen's Democracy and Democratization; The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century by Samuel Huntington; and Democracy in the Third World by Robert Pinkney. We also have a text for each of the cases studies: The New Spain, by Kenneth Maxwell and Steven Spiegel; Politics in Chile by Lois Hecht Oppenheim; State Building and Democracy in Southern Africa, by Pierre du Toit; and The Great Transition: Political and Social Change in the Republic of China by Hung-mao Tien (Tien).

Requirements:

1. Above all, you must read. The transition to democracy is a dramatic story and if you keep that in mind you will find the reading assignments enjoyable. If necessary, I will give occasional quizzes, both announced and unannounced, to make sure everyone is keeping up.

2. Your participation in class discussions will contribute to your final grade. The course will be more interesting for all of us if we can have a conversation about the material. Each class will include some lecture and some time for discussion. However, you are welcome to call time-out during a lecture to ask a question or make a comment. While I expect you to participate, I also recognize that some students are more gregarious than others. If you are not a big talker, take heart. When it comes to class participation, quality is more important than quantity, and a good question is as valuable as a good comment.

2. Besides reading the assignments for the class, I will expect you to keep up with current events in the world. The process of democratic transition is by no means over; the newspapers carry stories every day about the progress of countries moving toward (and sometimes away from) democracy. We will refer to those countries in our class discussions, and it is important for you to be able to follow along. Your news source may be the New York Times, the Washington Post Weekly Edition, a news magazine (the Economist, Newsweek, Time, MacLean's, the Nation, US News and World Report), or an in-depth broadcast news program (MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour, All Things Considered, BBC Newshour, This Week With David Brinkley). News events are fair game for quizzes.

3. There will be a mid-term and a final exam.

4. You will write a 10 to 15 page paper analyzing the democratic transition in a country which is NOT among our four cases, using the theories we have studied.

Please note: Whenever you hand in written work, please use a cover sheet with your name, the name of the course, the title of the paper or assignment and your telephone number. Staple the title page to the rest of the essay or exam. Please do not put your name on the other pages. If you use a blue book for your exams, write your name ONLY on the cover(s) of any blue books you use. If you write your exams on loose paper, please make a cover sheet, and write your name on it only.

Grading:

Participation: 5% A = 93-100

Midterm Review: 30% A- = 90-92

Analytical Paper: 30% B+ = 87-89

Final Exam: 35% B = 83-86

B- = 80-82, etc.

Anything you hand in is pledged work. But as a reminder of the honor code's importance, I would like you to write out the honor code in full on the cover sheet of any work you hand in and sign it. If for some reason you do not write the honor code on a paper or exam, that does not exempt the work from the honor code. Please make sure you understand the honor code, especially the definition of plagiarism. If you have any questions, doubts or concerns about any aspect of the honor code, please speak to me.

Week 1

1/16 Introduction

1/18 Spain: Transition to Democracy

Maxwell and Spiegel, pp. 1-24

Week 2

1/23 Spain: Consolidating Democracy

Maxwell and Spiegel, pp. 25-64

1/25 Spain: Prospects for the Future

Maxwell and Spiegel, pp. 65-95

Week 3

1/30 Defining Democracy

Huntington, pp. 3-30

Sorensen, pp. 1-24

2/1 Chile: Democracy and Development

Oppenheim, pp. 3-53

Week 4

2/4 Chile: The Allende Presidency

Oppenheim, pp. 55-90

2/6 Chile: The Military Challenge to Democracy

Oppenheim, pp. 91-113

Pinkney, pp. 61-82

Week 5

2/13 Chile: Military Rule

Oppenheim, pp. 117-170

2/15 Chile: Redemocratization

Oppenheim, pp. 170-201

Week 6

2/20 Chile: Toward a Democratic Future

Oppenheim, pp. 205-237

Pinkney, pp. 83-99

2/22 The Democratization Process

Sorensen, pp. 25-62

Week 7

2/27 The Democratization Process, cont'd

Huntington, pp. 109-163

2/29 Democratization and Colonialism

Pinkney, pp. 18-60

Week 8

3/12 Botswana

du Toit, pp. 1-73

3/14 Death and the Maiden

Huntington, pp. 208-253

Oppenheim, pp. 216-223

Death and the Maiden (on reserve)

schedule a meeting with your debate partners before March 26

Week 9

3/19 No Class

3/21 Midterm Review

Week 10

3/26 Death and the Maiden role play discussion

3/28 South Africa

du Toit, pp. 151-180

Week 11

4/2 South Africa

du Toit, pp. 181-213

4/4 Consolidating Democracy in Southern Africa

du Toit, pp. 217-248

Week 12

4/9 Easter Break

4/12 Consolidating Democracies

Huntington, pp. 253-278

Week 13

4/16 Consequences of Democratization

Sorensen, pp. 63-89, 91-117

4/18 Taiwan: Development and Democratization

Tien 1-42

Week 14

4/23 Taiwan: Developing a Multi-Party System

Tien 64-104

4/25 Taiwan: The Opposition

supplementary reading

Week 15

4/30 Taiwan: Elections and Representation

Tien 139-161, 162-194

5/2 Taiwan: Looking to the Future

Tien 216-254

FINAL PAPER DUE

Week 16

5/7 Critiques of Democratization Theory

5/9-5/15: FINAL EXAMS