Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War

Problems of International Politics

by Steven Levitsky, Lucan A. Way

Competitive authoritarian regimes – in which autocrats submit to meaningful multiparty elections but engage in serious democratic abuse – proliferated in the post–Cold War era. Based on a detailed study of 35 cases in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and post-communist Eurasia, this book explores the fate of competitive authoritarian regimes between 1990 and 2008. It finds that where social, economic, and technocratic ties to the West were extensive, as in Eastern Europe and the Americas, the external cost of abuse led incumbents to cede power rather than crack down, which led to democratization. Where ties to the West were limited, external democratizing pressure was weaker and countries rarely democratized. In these cases, regime outcomes hinged on the character of state and ruling party organizations. Where incumbents possessed developed and cohesive coercive party structures, they could thwart opposition challenges, and competitive authoritarian regimes survived; where incumbents lacked such organizational tools, regimes were unstable but rarely democratized.

Genres: Politics, Political Science, History, Nonfiction, Social Science

536 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2010

About the author

Steven Levitsky is an American political scientist and Professor of Government at Harvard University. A comparative political scientist, his research interests focus on Latin America and include political parties and party systems, authoritarianism and democratization, and weak and informal institutions.

Reviews

[MikePeterS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah, I dont feel the need to read this whole textbook on comparative politics. But from what I did read, I learned a lot!

All my homies love Western linkage and leverage!

[Alix · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed and coherent study of competitive authoritarianism.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent breadth and depth of case studies - insightful handling of this regime type. Good distinguishing between change of power and change of regime type. Worthwhile book to read in order to understand recent wave of democratization and (currently) slightly receding tide.

[AndrewMillerTheSecond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Not only a solid theory of why and how countries do or don't democratize (connections to and leverage from the West), but nice introductions to the politics of 35 different countries from the 90s to 2010. Teaches a lot of concepts you can use to analyze geopolitics. One of the best books I've ever read, just remember to read the opening (and closing chapters) closely because they throw a lot of terms at you that will be used throughout the case studies.

[Trenton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid overview of the Competitive/Electoral Authoritarian model of government. I gleaned a greater respect for the Carter Center and hope they can continue to be a force for democracy as the US government retreats from the global stage.

[Daniel]

The New Authoritarianism on The Atlantic.

[Marianna Altabbaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

يوجد في أدبيات تصنيف الديمقراطية في بلد ما كم كبير من التصنيفات، بسبب الأنظمة المهجنة التي تقع بين الديمقراطية والاثوقراطية، يطرح الكتاب تصنيف جديد يفسر وضع البلدان التي يوجد فيها معارضة رسمية وتخضع لانتخابات لكنها مازالت ديكتاتورية بشكل ما.

competitive authoritarian الاتوقراطية التنافسية
وهي نظام سياسي حاكم مدني، مع وجود مؤسسات رسمية ديمقراطية كالبرلمان وله قوة في الحقل السياسي، وتواجد أحزاب للمعارضة بشكل رسمي.

إلا أن التنافس للوصول على السلطة (من خلال الانتخابات) حر (من ناحية حرية الحملات الانتخابية للمعارضة، عدم سجن المعارضين ...) إلا أنه غير نزيه. فتسيطر المجموعة الحاكمة على السلطة والقوة، من خلال عدم وجود مساواة في استخدام الإعلام الرسمي وموضوع التمويل، بالإضافة إلى استخدام ودعم المرافق العامة لصالح المجموعة الحاكمة.

يفسر الكتاب سبب تواجد هذه الأنظمة الاتوقراطية التنافسية وانتشارها بعد الحرب الباردة لعاملين:
- طبيعةالعلاقة مع الغرب
- الهيكل الحاكم ومؤسسات الدولة

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hated the first two chapters, but enjoyed the in depth looks at the actual countries.