Between Democracy and Autocracy: Regime Change, Resilience, and Resistance in Global Perspective - Einzelansicht

After three decades of democratic expansion, the world is now experiencing a wave of autocratization. This seminar examines how political regimes emerge, change, and persist. It starts with the conceptual foundations: how democracy and autocracy are defined, classified, and measured, including a critical look at major indices such as V-Dem, Freedom House, and the BTI. It then turns to the dynamics of regime change, covering theories of democratization, the current wave of autocratization, and the debate on whether democracy is a universal value. A third part addresses the international dimension, including democracy promotion and protection and the diffusion of democratic and autocratic norms. The final part asks what makes democracies resilient and how civil society, opposition, media, and business actors resist autocratization. The seminar draws on cases from all world regions, with particular attention to the Global South.

• Carothers, T. (2002). The End of the Transition Paradigm. Journal of Democracy, 13(1), 5–21.
• Dahl, R. A. (1971). Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition. Yale University Press.
• Gerschewski, J. (2013). The Three Pillars of Stability: Legitimation, Repression, and Co-optation in Autocratic Regimes. Democratization, 20(1), 13–38.
• Levitsky, S., & Way, L. A. (2010). Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes After the Cold War. Cambridge University Press.
• Lührmann, A., & Lindberg, S. I. (2019). A Third Wave of Autocratization Is Here: What Is New About It? Democratization, 26(7), 1095–1113.
• Sen, A. (1999). Democracy as a Universal Value. Journal of Democracy, 10(3), 3–17.
• Waldner, D., & Lust, E. (2018). Unwelcome Change: Coming to Terms with Democratic Backsliding. Annual Review of Political Science, 21, 93–113.

By the end of the seminar, students will be able to:

• explain and critically compare core concepts and theories of democracy, autocracy, and regime transformation;
• apply theoretical approaches to empirical cases of democratization, autocratization, and democratic resilience;
• evaluate the role of domestic and international actors in shaping regime trajectories;
• reflect on the opportunities and limits of AI tools in political science research;
• strengthen their skills in academic argumentation, presentation, and writing.

The seminar is taught in block format and combines lecturer input, student presentations, structured debates, group exercises with creative assignments (e.g., analysing political cartoons and protest art). One session takes place at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) in Bonn and includes a guest lecture. Assessment: presentation and participation (30%), term paper (70%).