Democracy in Hard Places

More about the book

How does democracy endure in countries that are poor, ethnically diverse, economically troubled, and face state weakness? This volume explores the resilience of democracy in "hard places," where traditional factors associated with democratic emergence and stability are often lacking. It examines how democracies in these challenging environments navigate underdevelopment, ethnolinguistic diversity, state fragility, and patriarchal norms. The book presents a rich theoretical debate on whether democracy's survival is due to a balance of power and institutional constraints or if it stems from the normative commitments of key actors. Featuring nine case studies by leading scholars, it analyzes instances of democratic emergence and survival against significant odds, drawn from various regions that experienced the "third wave" of democracy. Each case study highlights the specific obstacles to democracy, identifies influential political actors, and explains how threats to democratic stability were successfully mitigated. This work provides valuable insights into the dynamics of democratic resilience in contexts where conventional conditions for durability are either diminished or completely absent.