Democracy and Democratization

This book evaluates the current prospects for democracy in the world, clarifying the concept of democracy, and questioning whether democratic advancement will continue.. This book evaluates the current prospects for democracy in the world. The author clarifies the concept of democracy, shows its application in different contexts, and questions whether democratic advancement will continueand if so, at what price. The consequences of democracy for economic development, human rights, and peaceful relations among countries are illuminated in both their positive and negative aspects.The second edition features a new section on the prospects of democracy as we approach the millennium, an extended discussion on economic performance in the current democratic transitions, and an evaluation of the possibilities for further democratic consolidation. What is democracy? What are the pitfalls and the positive potentials in the growing trend toward democratization?This book examines the prospects for democracy in the world today and frames the central dilemma confronting all states touched by the process of democratization. Georg Srensen clarifies the concept of democracy, shows its application in different contexts, and questions whether democratic advancement will continueand if so, at what price. The consequences of democracy for economic development, human rights, and peaceful relations among countries are illuminated in both their positive and negative aspects.Following the success of the first edition of Democracy and Democratization, Srensen has updated the book with a new section on the prospects of democracy as we approach the millennium, an extended discussion of the economic performance of recently democratized countries, and an evaluation of the possibilities for further democratic consolidation. The second edition features a wealth of new case studies, examples, and anecdotes to illustrate historical as well as contemporary instances of democratic transition.Democracy, as Srensen convincingly portrays it, is a value in itself as well as a potential promoter of peace, prosperity, and human well-being. But democracy is not inevitable, and actions at every levelfrom the individual to the internationalare necessary to ensure that frail or frozen democracies do not founder and that established democracies flourish.