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Cited by 1,528Political Conflict and GovernancePolitical Theory and DemocracyElectoral Systems and Political Participation

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 46 of the 48 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

A third wave of autocratization is here: what is new about it?

Open access
Lührmann, Anna, Lindberg, Staffan I.·2019·Democratization
DOI 10.1080/13510347.2019.1582029
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Abstract

Less than 30 years after Fukuyama and others declared liberal democracy’s eternal dominance, a third wave of autocratization is manifest. Gradual declines of democratic regime attributes characterize contemporary autocratization. Yet, we lack the appropriate conceptual and empirical tools to diagnose and compare such elusive processes. Addressing that gap, this article provides the first comprehensive empirical overview of all autocratization episodes from 1900 to today based on data from the Varieties of Democracy Project (V-Dem). We demonstrate that a third wave of autocratization is indeed unfolding. It mainly affects democracies with gradual setbacks under a legal façade. While this is a cause for concern, the historical perspective presented in this article shows that panic is not warranted: the current declines are relatively mild and the global share of democratic countries remains close to its all-time high. As it was premature to announce the “end of history” in 1992, it is premature to proclaim the “end of democracy” now.

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Research works printed but not linked: 11

  1. Freedom House, 2008, Freedom in the World
  2. Freedom House, 2008, Freedom in the World
  3. Coppedge M., 2018, Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project
  4. Coppedge M., 2018, Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute
  5. Dahl R. A., 1998, On Democracy
  6. Diamond L., 2008, Foreign Affairs, 87, 36
  7. Erdmann G., 2011, Comparative Governance and Politics, 1, 21
  8. Lentz H. M., 1999, Encyclopedia of Heads of States and Governnments, 1900 Through 1945
  9. Norris P., 2017, Journal of Democracy (Online Exchange)
  10. Runciman D., 2018, How Democracy Ends
  11. 10.1111/1475-6765.12244 · DOI

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Metadata

Authors
Lührmann, A., & Lindberg, S. I.
Affiliations
University of Gothenburg (SE)
Corresponding author
Lührmann, Anna
ORCID
Venue
Democratization
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2019-03-01
Volume
26
Issue
7
Pages
1095-1113
ISSN
  • 1351-0347 (ISSN-L)
  • 1743-890X
DOI
10.1080/13510347.2019.1582029
OpenAlex
W2919826889
Cited by
1,528
References
48
Citations by year
2026: 273 · 2025: 290 · 2024: 229 · 2023: 206 · 2022: 179 · 2021: 187 · 2020: 133 · 2019: 31
FWCI
266.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
Democratization (publishedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • European Research Council (72419)
  • Vetenskapsrådet (2018-016114)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Political Conflict and Governance
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Political Theory and Democracy
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Electoral Systems and Political Participation
Keywords
autocratization, democratic backsliding, liberal democracy, end of history, end of democracy

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