Inequality and Democratization An Elite-Competition Approach [Paperback]

This book offers a new theory of the historical relationship between economic modernization and the emergence of democracy on a global scale.This book offers a new theory of the historical relationship between economic modernization and the emergence of democracy on a global scale, focusing on the effects of land and income inequality.This book offers a new theory of the historical relationship between economic modernization and the emergence of democracy on a global scale, focusing on the effects of land and income inequality.Research on the economic origins of democracy and dictatorship has shifted away from the impact of growth and turned toward the question of how different patterns of growth  equal or unequal  shape regime change. This book offers a new theory of the historical relationship between economic modernization and the emergence of democracy on a global scale, focusing on the effects of land and income inequality. Contrary to most mainstream arguments, Ben W. Ansell and David J. Samuels suggest that democracy is more likely to emerge when rising, yet politically disenfranchised, groups demand more influence because they have more to lose, rather than when threats of redistribution to elite interests are low.1. Introduction; 2. Inequality, development, and distribution; 3. Actors and interests; 4. An elite-competition model of democratization; 5. Assessing the relationship between inequality and democratization; 6. Inequality and democratization: empirical extensions; 7. Democracy, inequality, and public spending: reassessing the evidence; 8. Democracy, redistribution, and preferences; 9. Conclusion. This gem of a book engages with one of the fundamental relationships in political economy: the relationship between democratization and inequality. The received wisdom is that inequality serves as a brake on democratization because the autocratic elites fear the redistributive demands of the poor median voter. Ansell and Samuels offer an illuminating newlS4