Dictators and Democrats: Masses, Elites, and Regime Change Hardcover - 2016

"In a crowded landscape Dictators and Democrats stands out. It sets a high standard for multimethod research with its deep involvement in the cases and statistical analyses of regime change. Notably, the book systematically examines the causal mechanisms at the heart of class theories."--Gary Goertz, University of Notre Dame

"Haggard and Kaufman have written another gem, one that is certain to become central to the study of regime change. Exploring transitions to and from democracy, they argue that influential theories of regime change focusing on modernization and inequality offer relatively little leverage compared to the importance of elite actors' interests, the nature of the ancien rgime, and international factors."--David Samuels, University of Minnesota

"This book rigorously analyzes transition pathways for different types of democracies and the conditions under which each is likely. It recognizes that there is no unified path to democratic outcomes and makes significant contributions to the raging debates over the role of inequality and pressures from below for redistribution. With its global coverage and careful research, it is a tour de force."--Rachel Beatty Riedl, Northwestern University

"This is a seminal achievement by two master craftsmen. Substantively innovative, their book addresses the single most widely studied topic in the field of comparative politics. It is certain to be highly influential in shaping scholarly debates about democracy, authoritarianism, and regime change for many years to come."--Kenneth M. Roberts, Cornell University

"Dictators and Democrats challenges theories that focus on economic inequality and distributive conflict as the primary drivers of democratic transitions and breakdowns. Through a remarkable range of data, readers are left with the most detailed map of regime transitions during the 1980-2008 period that currently exists anywhere. The lesson that democracies arise and collapse through a diverse set of political processes and mechanisms shines brilliantly through."--Dan Slater, University of Chicago