Economic and Post-Communist Democratization Theories Analysis

This essay examines two prominent theories of democratization: economic democratization and post-communist democratization. It reviews literature by Przeworski and Limongi (1997) and Whitehead (1996) to highlight the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of each approach. Economic democratization posits that economic development leads to democracy by empowering the population and fostering a complex social structure, while post-communist democratization focuses on the transition from communist states to democracy, emphasizing international factors and political transformation. The essay discusses the impact of these theories on various countries, including those in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, and concludes that while both theories offer insights into the democratization process, Przeworski and Limongi's study provides a more intense and evident analysis.

Running head: DEMOCRATIZATION THEORIES
DEMOCRATIZATION THEORIES
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The aim of this paper is to discuss the two most important theories of democratization
which are economic theory of democratization and post-communist democratization. On this
regard two important literature will be reviewed and the differences in these two theories will
pointed out. By analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of these two democratic system
will also be discussed and the whole ideas will be supported by the studies of the different
political experts. Democratization is a transition to the democratic political regime which
includes substantive political change in the nation. This is the method of moving forward to
the democracy from other political regime. This can be progress from authoritarian regime
towards semi-democracy or a semi authoritarian regime towards the democracy. In different
period, the political system and idea of democracy has changed which has given birth to the
different democratization theories. Among all these, the most important are economic
democratization and post-communist democratization theory.
In the study named “Modernization, Theories and Facts”, Przeworski and Limongi
(1997), the authors have pointed out that only after the dictatorship dies, the democracy rises.
Therefore, they have asserted that the economic development of the country supports the
growth of economy. When the country becomes economically developed then the population
question the dictatorship which leads to democratization of the country. According to this
concept the economy therefor is responsible for the democratization of the society as the
social structure of the country becomes complex and the labor processes begins to seek active
cooperation of the employees. Finally a new group emerges and organizes the whole process
(Törnquist 2000). The theory of economic democratization, mandates that the society will be
complex in this process and the technological changes will be helping the direct producers
with all the necessary information or resources. These direct producers will be provided with
some autonomy as well as private information. The civil density consisting various groups
like bourgeois and workers will be emerging by demolishing the power of the dictatorship.

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From the point of view of the business, the theory of economic democratization
relates to the shift of the decision making power from the corporate managers as well as the
cooperate shareholders to the larger group of public stakeholders. This group includes the
customers, employees, suppliers, competitors, the government of the country and finally the
broader public. It is related with the economic decision making process regarding policy
decision which engages the modern property and eternized costs to subordinate the general
wellbeing of the private profit. This denies the polity of democratic voice in the economic
publicity making. Along with these moral concerns, the economic democratization process
makes practical claims which include the action of competing for the effective demand gap of
capitalism.
There is both advantages and disadvantages of economic democratization. As the
economic development of the county has fully supported the growth of democracy in the
country, these limit the scope of revolution, inequality and social depravity. The economic
development influence the democracy in many ways and lead the country for the
democratization. This process limits the constraints like political conflicts, rise of social and
economic inequality and most importantly lowered level of income of people in the
democratic society. The increase of the GDP of the country therefore leads to form new and
changing productive relationship. The productive relationship, migration of the works as well
as the firm to the cities to affect the human capital as well as technology. As the economic
structure transforms and relates to the capital intensity, the capital itself has become more
essential hand the lands. This is one of the reasons why the states that have higher income per
capita will perform better than the others.
The causality of the economic development along with the democracy is the most
inconclusive matters. If there is any type of preconditions present in the democratization that
will promote the economic growth in most effective manner to be creating scope for

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democracy. These conditions will include the urbanization, industrialization, wide spread
scope of education as well as literacy, financial growth and strong middle class segment in
the society which has involved in the protection of rights and their issues with public affair.
These changes in the social structure has disadvantages also which include the in capability to
balance the political and economic issues. The economic theory of democratization does not
think about the political situation or the leaders which will be running the country. As the
democracy has the process of electing the representative of the people of the country, the
political leaders depart becoming ministers may not have the knowledge of economy hence
the economic democratization creates confusion among the people. In addition to this the
economic democratization may not relate to the sustainability of the production process.
Similarly, the economic democratization ads makes the workers, bourgeois powerful to
operate in the economy of the market, the policy making comes under confusion. Finally as
the economic democratization does not focus on the political system, the instability of the
government can hamper the benefits of the common people or the groups interested in such
democracy.
On the contrary Whitehead (1996), has focused on the post-communist democratization by
evaluating the concepts of the international factors of contagion, control and the consent. The
international dimensions of the recent as well as the contemporary democratization have
emphasized in the contrasting logics of the alternative perspectives from economic
democratization to the post-communist democratization. This study has focused its research
on the nations which have developed changes in the political systems after the globalization.
In the countries like France, Germany, Australia, Jamaica, Trinidad, Brazil, Russian Republic
and South Africa, the private accumulation of wealth and the institutionalization of privileges
for some sections of society, without relying on a mythical post-scarcity state of abundance,
or sacrificing freedom of choice. This particular study has focused more on the countries that

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have a revolutionary past where the population was involved in the establishment of the
democracy. The instance of Cuba has been highlighted in this respect which along with the
Granada, Panama and Nicaragua have representative democracy and reflect their capability to
serve as the post-communist democracy in the world.
The theory of post-communist democratization is a part of transition process which
includes the political as well as economic transformation of the communist states towards the
democracy. According to the theorists like Clark (2000), the countries located in different
parts of Europe and Asia which once followed the communist way of political regime faced
tremendous pressure that changed the government and their policies. According to this,
theory, the communism was a type of authoritarian type of government where the existence
of the private property was not present and the production system was in the hands of the
states. Despite the fact that these type of government had been highly focused on the social
and economic welfare of the people of the country, the waves of democracy in the different
parts of the world had demolished this type of system (Huntington 1991). In the countries of
the Soviet Union faced the blow of social democratic party that enacted the democratization
of the countries. Along with this, the less reform oriented communist party also had
supported the democratization method of the countries. This social democratic parties were
more powerful and larger than the community parties therefore, the countries like Italy and
Germany also followed the path of democracy by cubing the power of the authoritarian
powers both socially as well as politically.
The advantages of this type of democracy is mainly relates to the prevention of the
monopoly of authority where the citizens get the right to vote on the social, political and
economic issues that they did not get in the communist set up. Over, the post-communist
democratization creates scope for the other political parties to emerge rather than only focus
on the one party for the country. Among the disadvantages of the idea of post-communist

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democratization relates to the equality factor which was provided by the communist type of
political regime is not present in the new process. Democracy only prefers the majority where
the shrewd officials may get the full support and in spite of having the relevant issues, the
minority parties can never success.
Both the literatures have clearly provided the insight of the theories relating to the
democratization process but the study by Przeworski and Limongi (1997) is more intense and
evident from that of Whitehead (1996). As the main objective of these studies is however
democratization process, they have successfully detailed the advantages as well as
disadvantages of the economic theory of democratization and post-communist
democratization is that the impact on the countries cab be understood properly. These
different approaches of political change has helped a great deal in understanding the
consequences of the comparative politics.

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References:
Clark, C., 2000. Modernization, democracy, and the developmental state in Asia: A virtuous
cycle or unraveling strands. Pathways to democracy. The political economy of democratic
transitions, New York/London: Routledge, pp.160-177.
Huntington, S.P., 1991. Democracy's third wave. Journal of democracy, 2(2), pp.12-34.
Przeworski, A. and Limongi, F., 1997. Modernization: Theories and facts. World politics,
49(2), pp.155-183.
Törnquist, O., 2000. Dynamics of Indonesian democratisation. Third World Quarterly, 21(3),
pp.383-423.
Whitehead, L., 1996. chapter 1 Three International Dimensions of Democratization. The
international dimensions of democratization: Europe and the Americas, p.3.