There is an inherent tension between federalism and democracy. From the perspective of the constituent states that make up a federation, federalism constrains democracy because requirements of federal law may limit a state’s ability to adopt policies consistent with its citizens’ preferences. From the perspective of the federation as a whole, federalism constrains democracy because state govern...

This essay explores the impact of the Internet and new social media in China and Malaysia. In particular, it examines the extent to which the tools and platforms of new information communication technology have democratizing effects in two very different types of illiberal regime. Democratization here is defined not as a simple process of political liberalization but instead as a dynamic proces...

Although there is evidence that domestic politics matter for the formation of preferential trade agreements, the impact of large-scale changes in political institutions, especially in the direction of democratization, on economic integration has been given surprisingly short shrift in the previous literature. This study takes a first step toward developing such an explanation. It posits that, a...

Increasing levels of democratic freedoms should, in theory, improve women’s access to political positions. Yet studies demonstrate that democracy does little to improve women’s legislative representation. To resolve this paradox, we investigate how variations in the democratization process—including pre-transition legacies, historical experiences with elections, the global context of transition...

Democratization %rough Peace: T%e DifJcult Case of Guatemala The Guatemalan peace process provides an excellent opportunity to revisit a number of discussions about political democratization and social justice in Latin America. It is the premise of this article that fulfillment of the peace accords, particularly on demilitarization, is the necessary precondition for full development of politica...

Increasing levels of democratic freedoms should, in theory, improve women’s access to political positions. Yet studies demonstrate that democracy does little to improve women’s legislative representation. To resolve this paradox, we investigate how variations in the democratization process—including pre-transition legacies, historical experiences with elections, the global context of transition...