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" Democratization or De-Democratization: The Role of Civil Society in Mass and Elite Interactions "
Jones, Defne
Silay, Kemal
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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1053257
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| Doc. No
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TL52374
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| Main Entry
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Jones, Defne
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| Title & Author
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Democratization or De-Democratization: The Role of Civil Society in Mass and Elite Interactions\ Jones, DefneSilay, Kemal
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| College
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Indiana University
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| Date
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2019
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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2019
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| Note
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430 p.
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| Abstract
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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.
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| Descriptor
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International relations
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Silay, Kemal
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Indiana University
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