Elections ought in theory to go a long way toward making democracy'work', but in many
contexts, they fail to embody democratic ideals because they are affected by electoral …

If democracy is to have the good effects said to justify it, it must be self-enforcing in that
incumbents choose to hold regular, competitive elections and comply with the results. I …

The literature on authoritarian institutions points to nationwide elections as a mechanism for
learning about the preferences of citizens. In using elections in this way, however …

This study evaluates the validity and causal weight of competing causal mechanisms that
purport to explain a single set of choices (and critical turning point) within a contentious …

This paper addresses the post-Communist color revolution phenomenon, utilizing aspects of
all the major approaches (structure, agency, diffusion). It surveys the varying degrees of …

The spectacular and unexpected explosion of revolutionary energy in the Arab world since
the start of 2011 makes it more relevant to re-examine the chain of attempts to depose the …

Kyrgyzstan has experienced two violent overthrows of its government in recent years. Some
hoped or feared these events would inspire or spark political change elsewhere. This article …

In the past decade, we have witnessed an increasing capacity of political oppositions in post-
socialist spaces to get people mobilised, interact with civil society movements and challenge …

In recent years, large-scale protests have forced several incumbent governments in former
Soviet countries from power. Scholarly examinations of these events have lacked a cohesive …

A rapidly growing literature in comparative politics focuses on the role of elections as key
moments of vulnerability for authoritarians and as a crucial mechanism through which …