عنوان

Democratization or De-Democratization:

Number

TLpq2387691338

.Language of Text, Soundtrack etc

انگلیسی

Title Proper

Democratization or De-Democratization:

General Material Designation

[Thesis]

First Statement of Responsibility

Jones, Defne

Title Proper by Another Author

The Role of Civil Society in Mass and Elite Interactions

Subsequent Statement of Responsibility

Silay, Kemal

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

Indiana University

Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.

2019

Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item

430

Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree

Ph.D.

Body granting the degree

Indiana University

Text preceding or following the note

2019

Text of Note

The purpose of this study is to understand how and why in an environment where democratization was the trend, de-democratization can occur. Beyond the point of transition to democracy, less is known about how and why a country de-democratizes over time. Focusing on agency involved in the de-democratization process, do civil society and political elites play a role in the de-democratization process and if so, how? Scholars usually assume that once a transition is complete and a democracy is consolidated it is impervious to change. Yet, how civil society actors interact with political elites in order to bolster or inhibit democracy should not overemphasize civil society as a purely democratizing force. Simply the presence or growth in the number of civil society groups does not translate to democratization, but rather I argue that it could also signal a downward trend in democracy depending upon context. Furthermore, beyond civil society actors' direct impact on democratization, this study examines how their interactions with political elites affects (de-) democratization. Religious organization consultation by policy-makers is one way to precipitate de-democratization. This study combines in-depth case study analysis of Turkey and Iran through content analysis, extensive fieldwork across four countries, and cross-national statistical analysis. I find at the macro-level that growing numbers and strength of civil society organizations corresponds with de-democratization. The implications of this finding are that civil society cannot be considered a panacea for democratization. Another finding at the meso-level relates to policy-makers consultation of religious civil society organizations correlated with de-democratization. In conjunction with consultation of secular civil society organizations within a de-democratizing phase, deepening de-democratization takes place. The implications of the previous findings show that consulting religious groups is a detriment to democracy and policy-makers need to look elsewhere for advice on policy. Furthermore, policy-makers should not justify consultation of civil society as a solution to efforts in democratization. Finally, the micro-level finding shows that frequent constitutional amendments to protect the executive branch strengthens super-presidentialism. The implications of this should signal extreme caution in voters approving constitutional amendments without assessing the true intentions.

International relations

Jones, Defne

Silay, Kemal

Electronic name

p

[Thesis]

276903

a

Y