Civil Society And Authoritarianism In The Third World

This book provides an accessible account of popular political, social and economic movements in the Third World. Focusing on poor and marginalized groups within developing countries, it shows how these groups have been stimulated into action by recent demands for political and economic change. Haynes describes the growing interest in democratic change in the Third World during the 1980s and 1990s, and argues that demands for democracy, human rights and economic change were a widespread catalyst for the emergence of hundreds of thousands of popular movements in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Sometimes these took the form of demands for more political representation and greater economic development; others were concerned with environmental protection, the broad position of women and the establishment of Islamic states and societies. Haynes argues that these emerging popular organizations are best regarded as building blocks of civil society that, in time, will enhance the democratic nature of many political environments in the Third World. The book will be welcomed by students and researchers in development studies, politics and sociology.

This is an in-depth analysis of the factors contributing to and those hindering the establishment of democracy in Third World countries. Beginning by looking at the concept of democracy in its various forms and the literature thereof, the text then looks at the Third World specifically, examining the impact of colonial rule and the eclipse of democracy in the years after independance. After considering the exceptional countries in which democracy survived intact, the book goes on to look at the various attempts at transition from authoritarianism to democracy, and at the prospects for democracy in the years ahead. This updated edition incorporates explorations ofthe influences of external forces, the roles of the state and civil society, and the varying trajectories of democratic consolidation (and decay).

Praise for the first edition: "... this masterful and concise volume overviews the range of approaches social scientists have applied to explain events in the Third World." --Journal of Developing Areas Understanding Third World Politics is a comprehensive, critical introduction to political development and comparative politics in the non-Western world today. Beginning with an assessment of the shared factors that seem to determine underdevelopment, B. C. Smith introduces the major theories of development--development theory, modernization theory, neo-colonialism, and dependency theory--and examines the role and character of key political organizations, political parties, and the military in determining the fate of developing nations. This new edition gives special attention to the problems and challenges faced by developing nations as they become democratic states by addressing questions of political legitimacy, consensus building, religion, ethnicity, and class.

Using case studies from sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, and including such critical countries as South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, and Egypt, Civil Society focuses on the processes and politics of dismantling "corporate" (state directed) economies in the Third World in order to move toward civil societies of free associability and democracy. The book presents a number of significant findings and recommendations, for example: Civil society plays an emerging role in East Asia and Latin America but is still weak in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. No one model of development fits all countries. It is imperative to recognize and accommodate indigenous aspects of civil society in development. Corporatism will remain especially important in countries at a middle level of development as they make the transition from authoritarianism to democracy.

Provides an account of popular political, social and economic movements in developing countries during the 1980's and 1990's.

Understanding Third World Politics gives a comprehensive and critical introduction to the main theories that have been used to understand political change in developing countries. It examines the variety of political institutions and processes in the Third World and critical evaluates the major explanatory frameworks used by political scientists to understand them. The discussion is supported throughout by a wide range of topical case studies from around the world – including features on class in Brazil and democracy in India. The book concludes by considering the political instability that so frequently plagues poor countries and by identifying the conditions required to establish democratic stability. The fourth edition has been revised and updated throughout to take account of key political developments, including foreign interventions in the Middle East, state repression in North Africa, and the secession of South Sudan. Engagingly written, this text offers a clear and theoretically rigorous introduction to the politics of the Third World.

Providing a thorough reassessment of our understanding of politics in Third World societies, this book contains some of the liveliest and most original analyses to have been published in recent years. The severity of the political and economic crisis throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America in the 1980s has highlighted the inadequacy of existing political science theories and the urgent need to provide new paradigms for the 1990s.

First Published in 1999. This book does not aim to offer a new or radically different interpretation of the ongoing debate over cultural geography. Kamrava states nor does it seek to present a universal theory of what Third World countries have done or ought to do as they navigate the political, economic and sociocultural traumas of development. Instead, it tries to place culture in its proper political perspective in the Third World.

With democracy in decline, authoritarian governments are staging a comeback around the world. Over the past decade, illiberal powers have become emboldened and gained influence within the global arena. Leading authoritarian countries—including China, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela—have developed new tools and strategies to contain the spread of democracy and challenge the liberal international political order. Meanwhile, the advanced democracies have retreated, failing to respond to the threat posed by the authoritarians. As undemocratic regimes become more assertive, they are working together to repress civil society while tightening their grip on cyberspace and expanding their reach in international media. These political changes have fostered the emergence of new counternorms—such as the authoritarian subversion of credible election monitoring—that threaten to further erode the global standing of liberal democracy. In Authoritarianism Goes Global, a distinguished group of contributors present fresh insights on the complicated issues surrounding the authoritarian resurgence and the implications of these systemic shifts for the international order. This collection of essays is critical for advancing our understanding of the emerging challenges to democratic development. Contributors: Anne Applebaum, Anne-Marie Brady, Alexander Cooley, Javier Corrales, Ron Deibert, Larry Diamond, Patrick Merloe, Abbas Milani, Andrew Nathan, Marc F. Plattner, Peter Pomerantsev, Douglas Rutzen, Lilia Shevtsova, Alex Vatanka, Christopher Walker, and Frederic Wehrey