The “State of the Art” in Empirical Democratic Theory

Abstract

Before we turn to the different methodological steps undertaken in this large international project, which in one way or another have to be pursued in similar efforts, it is appropriate to give a brief overview of the “state of the art” in this particular area of research. Empirical democratic theory has developed tremendously during the last few decades (for recent assessments see, e.g., Acemoglu and Robinson 2006, Berg-Schlosser 2007, Geddes 2007, Haerpfer et al. 2009). Here, we focus on approaches which look at the broader social, economic and cultural conditions favouring democratization and some of the explanations which have been proposed concerning, more specifically, the survival or breakdown of democratic regimes in Europe in the interwar periods including theories of fascism and other forms of authoritarian rule. Many of these, in some modified forms, still apply to more recent developments in other parts of the world. The following discussion will look briefly at the broad range of hypotheses which have been advanced by individual historians or major proponents in theories of fascism, theories of development and crisis or empirical democratic theory. These include approaches based on a single or dominant factor or a specific sequence, but also more comprehensive and complex “conjunctural” ones.