04631nam 2200757 450 991080958030332120240131203734.01-4214-1813-4(CKB)3710000000533733(EBL)4398478(SSID)ssj0001599903(PQKBManifestationID)16306921(PQKBTitleCode)TC0001599903(PQKBWorkID)13701754(PQKB)10088999(OCoLC)932290395(MdBmJHUP)muse46752(Au-PeEL)EBL4398478(CaPaEBR)ebr11161194(MiAaPQ)EBC4398478(EXLCZ)99371000000053373320160319h20152015 uy 0engtxtccrPluralism by default weak autocrats and the rise of competitive politicsBaltimore, Maryland Johns Hopkins University Press2015©20151 online resource (274 p.)Description based upon print version of record.Includes bibliographical references and index."Focusing on regime trajectories across three countries in the former Soviet Union (Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine), Lucan Way argues that democratic political competition has often been grounded less in well-designed institutions or emerging civil society, and more in the failure of authoritarianism. In many cases, pluralism has persisted because autocrats have been too weak to steal elections, repress opposition, or keep allies in line. Attention to the dynamics of this "pluralism by default" reveals an important but largely unrecognized contradiction in the transition process in many countries - namely, that the same factors that facilitate democratic and semi-democratic political competition may also thwart the development of stable, well-functioning democratic institutions. Weak states and parties - factors typically seen as sources of democratic failure - can also undermine efforts to crack down on political opposition and concentrate political control"--Provided by publisher."Focusing on regime trajectories across the former Soviet Union, Pluralism by Default posits that political competition in "new democracies" has often been grounded less in well-designed institutions, democratic leaders, or emerging civil society and more in the failure of authoritarianism. Lucan Way contends that pluralism has persisted in many cases because autocrats lack the organization, authority, or coordination to steal elections, impose censorship, repress opposition, or keep allies in line. Attention to the dynamics of this "pluralism by default" reveals a largely unrecognized contradiction in the transition process: the same factors that facilitate democratic and semi-democratic political competition may also thwart the development of stable, well-functioning democratic institutions. National divisions or weak states and parties--typically seen as impediments to democracy--can also stymie efforts to crack down on political opposition and concentrate control. Way demonstrates that the features that have made Ukraine the most democratic country in the former Soviet Union also contributed to the country's extreme dysfunction and descent into war in 2014"--Provided by publisher.Political participationBelarusFBCPolitical participationMoldovaFBCPolitical participationUkraineFBCDemocratizationBelarusDemocratizationMoldovaDemocratizationUkraineBelarusPolitics and government1991-MoldovaPolitics and government1991-UkrainePolitics and government1991-BelarusPolitics and government1991-MoldovaPolitics and government1991-UkrainePolitics and government1991-2014Political participationPolitical participationPolitical participationDemocratizationDemocratizationDemocratizationBelarusPolitics and governmentMoldovaPolitics and governmentUkrainePolitics and government323/.040947321zWay Lucan1968-1158821Way Lucan1158821MiAaPQMiAaPQMiAaPQBOOK9910809580303321Pluralism by default4057712UNINA