Patronal Politics Eurasian Regime Dynamics in Comparative Perspective Problems of International Politics Series

This book proposes a new way of understanding events throughout the world that are usually interpreted as democratization, rising authoritarianism, or revolution. Where the rule of law is weak and corruption pervasive, what may appear to be democratic or authoritarian breakthroughs are often just regular, predictable phases in longer-term cyclic dynamics - patronal politics. This is shown through in-depth narratives of the post-1991 political history of all post-Soviet polities that are not in the European Union. This book also includes chapters on czarist and Soviet history and on global patterns.

1. Introduction; 2. Patronal politics and the great power of expectations; 3. A patronal-politics reinterpretation of Eurasian history; 4. Constitutions, elections, and regime dynamics; 5. The emergence of networks and constitutions; 6. The building of Eurasia's great power pyramids; 7. Revolutions and other presidential ousters; 8. Non-revolution in post-Soviet presidential systems; 9. After revolution; 10. Patronal parliamentarism; 11. Explaining post-Soviet regime dynamics; 12. Patronal politics in global comparative perspective.

Henry E. Hale is Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University, Washington DC. His previous work has won two awards from the American Political Science Association, the Leon D. Epstein Outstanding Book Award for Why Not Parties in Russia (Cambridge, 2006) and the Alexander L. George Article Award for 'Divided We Stand' (World Politics, 2005). His other publications include Foundations of Ethnic Politics (Cambridge, 2008), two edited volumes, and numerous articles in leading, peer-reviewed journals such as Comparative Political Studies, Comparative Politics, Perspectives on Politics, Europe-Asia Studies, and Post-Soviet Affairs. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the National Council for East European and Eurasian Research. In 2009–12, he served as director of the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. He currently serves as editorial board chair of Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization.