The political economy of democratic transitions

Dankwart A. Rustow's emphasis on elite bargaining represented an important advance over static, ''structural'' explanations and anticipated strategic choice models of regime change. However, these models often ignore underlying economic and social conditions that affect the resources of the contending actors and the stakes of the negotiations. Our theory of democratic transitions focuses on the way economic performance affects constitutional rules, political alignments, and institutions. It can be extended to explain the policy challenges facing new democratic governments and the prospects for consolidation.