Harvard Government 20 Week 4 Handout 1

Government 20: Week 4, Lecture 1 Theories of Democratization I. What Democracy is—and is Not (and Why it Matters) II. The Question: If democracy was born in a handful of wealthy, socially homogenous, and liberal capitalist societies, can it succeed in other social, economic, and cultural contexts? III. Theories of Democratization A. Cultural Approaches a. Liberalism as the foundation for modern democracy i. Champions individual rights ii. Egalitarian iii. Encourages competition b. Potential Implications: democracy unlikely to succeed in Catholic, Confusion, Islamic societies B. Modernization Theory (Lipset) a. Industrialization as the foundation for democracy i. Urbanization ii. Education iii. Communication iv. Wealth/large middle class v. Cross-cutting cleavages vi. Civil Society b. Potential implications: poor countries unlikely to be democratic Terms to Know Liberalism Lee Kwan Yew and “Asian Values” Cross-cutting cleavages Civil society