ABSTRACT

Many forces affect the emergence and stability of democracy. Early-on students of democratization have identified the international environment, economic development, social structure and elite transactions as crucial factors. But as democracy has spread over the past three decades to a majority of the world’s states, analytic attention has turned increasingly from explaining regime transitions or its consolidation to evaluating and explaining the character of democratic regimes. In recent years, political scientists as well as democracy practitioners have placed more emphasis on three factors – the evolution of mass norms and beliefs, the political institutions and organizations, and the quality of democratic governance – which are considered essential to not only the character of democratic system but also whether a democracy can achieve the broad and durable legitimacy that marks consolidation. Much of the study is focused on problems and challenges facing new democracies, but the latest discourse has begun to reassess the public’s commitment to democratic institutions and liberal values in long-standing liberal democracies as well.