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https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2020.1826935
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Erosion or decay? Conceptualizing causes and mechanisms of democratic regression
[journal article]
Abstract Democratic regression has become a worrying phenomenon in the last years. Social science has provided a variety of explanations why democratic regimes have lost democratic regime quality. Against this backdrop, I take stock of the recent literature by putting forward two important analytical distinc... view more
Democratic regression has become a worrying phenomenon in the last years. Social science has provided a variety of explanations why democratic regimes have lost democratic regime quality. Against this backdrop, I take stock of the recent literature by putting forward two important analytical distinctions that we should make more explicit. First, I propose to classify our current explanations along the source where the cause for the malaise originated. By doing so, I introduce a distinction between erosion and decay type of arguments. While the former is a gradual process that is caused exogenously - like wind or water hitting a stone - the latter is caused endogenously - like the half-life in nuclear decay processes. Second, I draw a distinction between the endogenous or exogenous roots of the cause and the subsequent causal mechanism that connects the cause with the outcome. I outline the need for dissecting a causal mechanism into its constitutive components and highlight its underlying dimensions of temporality. Throughout the article, I use empirical case material as well as relevant secondary literature to illustrate these points.... view less
Keywords
Asia; political regime; democracy; institutional change
Classification
Basic Research, General Concepts and History of Political Science
Free Keywords
decay; democratic regression; erosion
Document language
English
Publication Year
2021
Page/Pages
p. 43-62
Journal
Democratization, 28 (2021) 1
Issue topic
Democratic Regressions in Asia
ISSN
1743-890X
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed