Democratization - Case studies -- Regionalism (International organization) - Case studies

Indeks : p.243-248 ; p.219-242 ; Since the momentous events of the late 1980s, democratic transition has been a widely studied phenomenon. Most scholars who have investigated the causes and implications of the global trend to democracy have argued that domestic politics is the leading determinant in the success of failure of transitions to democracy. The author argues that international factors, specifically regional organizations, play an important role in the transition to and endurance of democracy. Domestic elites use membership of regional organizations to advance the cause of democracy since these organizations can manipulate the costs and benefits of democracy to important societal groups, such as business elites or the military. Six cases are used to examine the causal processes behind the statistical association between regional organizations and democratization. These findings bridge international relations and comparative politics providing guidelines for policymakers who wish to use regional organizations to promote democracy.