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 book offers a new theory of the historical relationship between economic modernization and the emergence of democracy on a global scale.
Ben W. Ansell is Professor of Comparative Democratic Institutions at Nuffield College, Oxford, and co-editor of Comparative Political Studies. His work on education, democracy, and housing markets has appeared in the American Political Science Review, Comparative Political Studies, World Politics, and International Organization. His book From the Ballot to the Blackboard (Cambridge, 2010) was awarded the 2011 William Riker Prize by the Political Economy Section of the American Political Science Association. David J. Samuels is Distinguished McKnight University Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. He is the coauthor of Presidents, Parties, and Prime Ministers (Cambridge, 2010); the author of Ambition, Federalism, and Legislative Politics in Brazil (Cambridge, 2003); and the co-editor of Decentralization and Democracy in Latin America (2004). His work has appeared in the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, Comparative Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Legislative Studies Quarterly, and the British Journal of Political Science. He currently serves as co-editor of Comparative Political Studies.
'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 new approach
- the elite-competition approach - and rigorously argue that rising
income inequality, in fact, fosters democratization as emerging
economic groups demand political influence to insure against the
old autocratic elite's power to expropriate their income and
assets. The book is a major contribution to the field of political
economy that will inspire and challenge researchers and students
alike.' Toke Aidt, University of Cambridge
'[Inequality and Democratization] challenges the widely believed
claim that demand for redistribution motivates democratization.
Ansell and Samuels assemble very persuasive evidence to support
their arguments. This is path-breaking research that will change
the way social scientists think about one of the really big
questions.' Barbara Geddes, University of California, Los
Angeles
'In this book, Ansell and Samuels explicitly challenge received
wisdom about democratization based on redistributive motives. These
works emphasize democracy as a threat to property. Ansell and
Samuels draw on ideas of liberalism and the enlightenment, such as
Locke on the need to control the arbitrary behavior of governments.
This approach suggests that democratization may result when
property interests seek constraints on arbitrary or predatory
government. Ansell and Samuels are sure to join the ranks of
Acemoglu and Robinson, Boix, and Przeworski in furthering our
understanding of democratization.' Barry R. Weingast, Stanford
University
'… an important and much-needed contrition to the study of
inequality and democratization … a must-read for students and
scholars interested in inequality …' Nils B. Weidmann, Reviews and
Critical Commentary
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