Autocratization in post-Cold War Political Regimes

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

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2. Introduction: From Democratization to Autocratization

   • Andrea Cassani, Luca Tomini

   Pages 1-13

3. What Autocratization Is

   • Andrea Cassani, Luca Tomini

   Pages 15-35

4. Trends of post-Cold War Autocratization

   • Andrea Cassani, Luca Tomini

   Pages 37-56

5. Modes of post-Cold War Autocratization

   • Andrea Cassani, Luca Tomini

   Pages 57-93

6. Cases of post-Cold War Autocratization

   • Andrea Cassani, Luca Tomini

   Pages 95-134

7. Conclusion: Patterns of post-Cold War Autocratization

   • Andrea Cassani, Luca Tomini

   Pages 135-143

8. Back Matter

   Pages 145-146

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This book deals with post-Cold War processes of autocratization, that is, regime change towards autocracy. While these processes are growing in number and frequency, autocratization remains a relatively understudied phenomenon, especially its most recent manifestations. In this volume, the authors offer one of the first cross-regional comparative analyses of the recent processes of regime change towards autocracy. Building on an original conceptual framework, the two authors engage in the empirical investigation of the spreading of this political syndrome, of the main forms that it takes, and of the modes through which it unfolds in countries ruled by different political regimes, with different histories and belonging to different regional contexts. The research is conducted through a mix of research techniques that include descriptive statistical analysis, Qualitative Comparative Analysis and case study. This book will be of interest to a heterogeneous readership that encompasses the broader community of scholars, analysts, observers, journalists, and practitioners interested in political development and regime change in different geographical areas.

• autocratization
• democratization
• regime change
• regime transitions
• autocratization typology
• autocratization conceptualization
• post-Cold War
• autocratization regional trends
• autocratization historical trends
• modes of regime change
• patterns of regime change
• qualitative comparative analysis (QCA)
• autocratization in Ecuador
• autocratization in Moldova
• autocratization in Thailand
• autocratization in Rwanda
• defective democracy
• electoral autocracy
• closed autocracy
• liberal democracy

“Autocratization in Post‐Cold War Political Regimes provides significant contributions to the literature on comparative political regime studies and the debate on the state of democracy. Hopefully, the book will pave the way for future research on patterns of regime transition using an authoritarian perspective.” (Angelo Vito Panaro, Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics & Society, JSPPS, Vol. 5 (2), 2019)

“When democratization left room to processes of autocratization, no author was ready to develop a new conceptual framework for analysing those processes, to single out the historical and geographical trends and to investigate the modalities of change. In this much welcome book the authors do that for the first time with insight and depth, making this book a compulsory careful reading for every comparatist.” (L. Morlino, Professor of Political Science, LUISS G. Carli, Rome, Italy, Former President, International Political Science Association (IPSA))

• Department of Social and Political Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

  Andrea Cassani

• Department of Political Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium

  Luca Tomini

Andrea Cassani is Research Fellow at the Department of Social and Political Sciences of the Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy. His work has been published in journals such as International Political Science Review, Italian Political Science Review, Africa Spectrum, European Journal of Political Research, Contemporary Politics, and European Political Science.

Luca Tomini is Chercheur Qualifié FNRS (Research Associate Professor) at the Centre d’Etude de la Vie Politique of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium. His work has been published in journals such as European Journal of Political Research, Europe-Asia Studies, Comparative European Politics, Journal of Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe. He is the author of the book When Democracies Collapse (2017).