Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2006 Democracy by any other name just isn't the same Clarissa Estep West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Estep, Clarissa, "Democracy by any other name just isn't the same" (2006). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 2407. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/2407 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Democracy By Any Other Name Just Isn’t the Same Clarissa Estep Dissertation submitted to the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science Jamie Elizabeth Jacobs, Ph.D., Committee Chair Person Joe Hagan, Ph.D. Robert Duval, Ph.D. Scott Crichlow, Ph.D. William Trumbell, Ph.D. (Economics) Department of Political Science Morgantown, West Virginia 2006 Key Words: Democratization, Democratic Peace, Democratization and War, Political Institutions Copyright 2006 Clarissa Estep Abstract Democracy By Any Other Name Just Isn’t the Same Clarissa Estep Democracy has been one of the fundamental achievements in the post-World War II era. Because evidence of the democratic peace exists, illiberal states are being pressured to form democracies. However, democratic consolidation, on which the democratic peace relies, remains a persistent problem of the Third World. Thus, the paradox remains that democratizing states are prone to violence which undermines peace and security. Considering that the majority of states in the international community are mixed regimes, or anocracies, this poses a problem for reducing interstate and intrastate conflict in these regimes. It is not enough to declare success with the establishment of electoral democracies; rather it is necessary to identify the political institutions that create mature democracies which validate the democratic peace. This research seeks to explain the relationship between political institutions, the level of democratization, and conflict in anocracies. Using a top-down approach to quantitatively test the years 1974 through 2000, this research examines the role of political institutions, such as constitutional structure, press freedom, free and fair elections, military accountability, as well as the legitimacy of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. With theoretical grounding in literature on democratizing states (e.g. Snyder, Mansfield and Snyder), the waves of democracy (Diamond), political decay (Huntington), political development, and the democratic peace, this research suggests that there is a threshold effect regarding political institutions which must be established before democracy can be consolidated and the conflict levels can be reduced in democratizing states. Acknowledgements There are several people that have been instrumental in helping me to finish my dissertation. First, I would like to thank my husband, Paul, for his constant patience, support, and love. He provided the time for me to finish my dissertation. I could not have done this without him. Second, I would like to thank my parents, Hoye and Shirley Carr, and brother, Eli Carr, for their unconditional love, unwavering support, and constant encouragement. This accomplishment is as much theirs as it is mine. Finally, I want to thank Walter and Lady Grey, my four-legged friends, for their feline antics and needed distractions. I want to thank several faculty members for their assistance throughout the process of writing my dissertation. First, words cannot express my gratitude for Dr. Jamie Jacobs, my dissertation chair. She has provided me with indispensable guidance, encouragement, and friendship throughout the dissertation process and the years of graduate school. I also want to thank the other members of my committee for their advice and council: Dr. Joe Hagan, Dr. Bob Duval, Dr. Scott Crichlow, and Dr. Bill Trumbull. Dr. Bob Duval and Dr. Dave Hauser provided invaluable assistance in the shaping of my quantitative chapters. Also, it is important to thank the faculty, staff, and graduate students of the Department of Political Science for providing a pleasant atmosphere in which to pursue a degree. Finally, I want to thank Dr. Heather Frederick and Clay Smith for their subtle reminders that my dissertation needed finishing. iii Table of Contents Chapter One – Introduction.....................................................................................1 Introduction........................................................................................................1 The Outline of this Dissertation.........................................................................9 Contributions....................................................................................................11 Chapter Two – Optimism versus Pessimism: The Democratic Peace versus Democratization and War......................................................................................12 What is Democracy?........................................................................................12 Waves of Democratization...............................................................................16 Democratic Peace.............................................................................................18 Democratization and Conflict..........................................................................21 Conflict ............................................................................................................23 Political Consolidation and Political Decay ....................................................25 Political Development......................................................................................26 Chapter Three – The Institutional Threshold Theory............................................30 Political Institutions .........................................................................................30 Governmental versus Intermediary Institutions...............................................36 The Institutional Threshold Theory .................................................................37 Chapter Four – Research Design ..........................................................................41 Introduction......................................................................................................41 Questions and Hypotheses ...............................................................................42 Methodology....................................................................................................44 Chapter Five...............................................................................................45 Chapter Six.................................................................................................47 Chapter Seven ............................................................................................48 Case Selection..................................................................................................49 Variables ..........................................................................................................49 Dependent Variables..................................................................................49 Independent Variables ...............................................................................52 Control Variables.......................................................................................59 Chapter Five – Level of Democratization..............................................................66 Introduction......................................................................................................66 Results..............................................................................................................67 1974-2000 ..................................................................................................67 Entered System Late ..................................................................................72 Rule of Law, Bureaucratic Quality ............................................................76 Regime Change..........................................................................................80 Alternative Models...........................................................................................83 Conclusions......................................................................................................90 iv Chapter Six – Militarized Interstate Disputes .......................................................98 Introduction......................................................................................................98 Results..............................................................................................................98