Can Money Buy Democracy?
How Development Spurs Political Change
Once conventional wisdom, modernization theory -- the idea that all countries advance along a similar trajectory of development and democracy -- has been put into question. The rise of such powers as Russia and China seems to show that economic development does not necessarily lead to democracy. Supporters of modernization theory however, maintain that the Russian and Chinese models are unstable, and that the general trend will prevail.
In this collection, Foreign Affairs presents the best discussions of modernization theory from our pages.
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The Return of Authoritarian Great Powers
Azar Gat
Liberal democracy, led by the United States, may have emerged triumphant from the great struggles of the twentieth century. But the post-Cold War rise of economically successful -- and nondemocratic -- China and Russia may represent a viable alternative path to modernity that leaves liberal democracy's ultimate victory and future dominance in doubt.
The Myth of the Autocratic Revival
Daniel Deudney and G. John Ikenberry
Autocracies such as China and Russia do not represent a sustainable alternative to liberal democracy. In fact, the pull of liberal democracy is stronger than ever.
Long Time Coming
John L. Thornton
Is China democratizing? The country's leaders do not think of democracy as people in the West generally do, but they are increasingly backing local elections, judicial independence, and oversight of Chinese Communist Party officials. How far China's liberalization will ultimately go and what Chinese politics will look like when it stops are open questions.
The Myth of the Authoritarian Model
Michael McFaul and Kathryn Stoner-Weiss
A growing conventional wisdom holds that Vladimir Putin's attack on democracy has brought Russia stability and prosperity -- providing a new model of successful market authoritarianism. But the correlation between autocracy and economic growth is spurious. Autocracy's effects in Russia have in fact been negative. Whatever the gains under Putin, they would have been greater under a democratic regime.
How Development Leads to Democracy
Ronald Inglehart and Christian Welzel
Democratic institutions tend to emerge only when certain social and cultural conditions exist. But economic development and modernization push those conditions in the right direction and make democracy increasingly likely.
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