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The multidisciplinary essays in Democracy and Its Limits combine an appreciation of the progress made to date in Third World democratization with a sober assessment of structural and cultural factors that limit further progress toward procedural democracy in many parts of the world, such as China and much of the Middle East. The contributors to this volume assess the positive accomplishments of newly installed or restored democratic regimes, as well as the frequent failure of political democracies to achieve socioeconomic democracy. In avoiding both the euphoria of many early works on Third Wave democratization and the deep pessimism of many recent publications, this book presents a balanced perspective that is a welcome contribution to the field of comparative politics.
“Some of the topics addressed include the role of women in Jordanian and Tunisian political life, patronage in South Korean politics, the prospects for greater political liberalization in the Middle East, institutional reform in Mexico, and institution building in China. The most authoritative chapter is Scott Mainwaring’s study of democratic survivability in Latin America.” —Choice
“This book takes an in-depth look at democracy and its limitations in several areas of the world. Through case studies of Iran and Jordan, as well as of countries from other regions, the contributors identify two types of impediments to democratization: institutional, cultural, ideological, and leadership weaknesses on the one hand; and factors related to representation, equal opportunity, and justice on the other. The individual case studies assess the achievements and challenges that countries face in the democratization process, and offer insights about the prospects for democratic development.” —Middle East Journal
Howard Handelman is Professor of Political Science, Director of the Center for Latin America at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the author of Mexican Politics: The Dynamics of Change (1997).
Mark Tessler is Professor of Political Science and Head of the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Arizona, the author of A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (1994), and the co-author of Area Studies and Social Science: Strategies for Understanding Middle East Politics (1999).