Books like Democracy
Loved Democracy by Charles Tilly? Here are 9 books with the same pull, and why each one fits.
About Democracy →9 books
- 1Polyarchy
Polyarchy
Robert Alan DahlA foundational account of democracy as a set of institutions and conditions for contestation and participation, and a common reference point for Tilly's critics.
- 2Democracy and Development
Democracy and Development
Fernando LimongiA large comparative study that tests whether democracy depends on economic development and how regimes change over time.
- 3Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation
Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation
Alfred C. StepanA comparative study of how democracies begin, stabilize and fail, focused on southern Europe, Latin America and post-communist states.
- 4Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy
Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy
James A. RobinsonA formal argument that democracy arises from conflict between elites and the mass public, with the threat of revolution shaping concessions.
- 5The Origins of Political Order
The Origins of Political Order
Francis FukuyamaA long historical account of how states, rule of law and accountability developed, placing the state and its relations with society at the centre.
- 6How Democracies Die
How Democracies Die
Daniel ZiblattA readable account of how elected governments decline from within, focusing on the norms and institutions that restrain power.
- 7Why Nations Fail
Why Nations Fail
James A. RobinsonA broad comparative history of how inclusive and extractive institutions shape prosperity and political freedom across countries.
- 8The Third Wave
The Third Wave
Samuel P. HuntingtonA survey of the wave of democratic transitions from the 1970s onward, and an early statement of how such waves can be followed by reversals.
- 9Democracy and Its Critics
Democracy and Its Critics
Robert Alan DahlA clear defence of democracy's institutions and a set of arguments about the conditions that support them, useful for weighing Tilly's claims against a standard view.
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