Sets out and elaborates three main headings under which international developments regarding democratization can be grouped and analysed—contagion, control, and consent. The ‘contagion’ heading refers to mere geographical proximity, whereby democratization in one country encourages or facilitates democratization in a neighbouring country, carrying no implications to mode or content of transmission. The ‘control’ heading involves policy direction by an external third‐party power, and accounts in a more satisfactory manner for variations in speed, direction, limits, and mechanisms of transmission. The ‘consent’ heading adds the essential ingredient of the democratization process, namely, the complex set of internal, social, and political factors, which promote receptivity towards the democratization agenda, and recognizes that democratization within a country cannot convincingly be wholly ascribed to external agency.

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The ending of the Cold War has brought about a flurry of regional initiatives to promote and consolidate democratization, especially in east Central Europe and in Central and South America. This volume provides a historically grounded analysis of the significance and limitations of such attempts at ‘democracy by convergence’, and reconsiders some established ideas about the relationship between domestic and international factors in recent democratization processes. Combining theoretical approaches with empirical case studies, the book examines the development of democratic regimes in countries and regions as diverse as Brazil, Spain, Greece, the Caribbean, and east Central Europe. At the international level, the book considers the influence of US foreign policy, international finance, the UN, and the European Union, as well as a wide range of international political influences on democratization.

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