Democratization and state building are fundamental political processes, yet scholars cannot agree on which process should be prioritized in order to put countries on a positive path of institutional development. Where much of the existing literature on the state-democracy nexus focuses on quantitative cross-national data, this volume offers a theoretically grounded regional analysis built around in-depth qualitative case studies. The chapters examine cases of successful democratic consolidation (South Korea, Taiwan), defective democracy (Philippines, Indonesia, East Timor), and autocratic reversal (Cambodia, Thailand). The book's evidence challenges the dominant 'state first, democracy later' argument, demonstrating instead that stateness is neither a sufficient nor a necessary condition for democratic consolidation. The authors not only show that democratization can become trapped in path-dependent processes, but also that the system-level organization of informal networks plays a key role in shaping the outcome of democratic transitions.

Comparative analysis of case studies across East Asia provides new insights into the relationship between state building, stateness, and democracy.

About the Author
Aurel Croissant is Professor of Political Science at Heidelberg University. His research focuses on comparative democratization, comparative authoritarianism, civil-military relations, and Asian politics. He also serves as the co-editor of the journal Democratization. Recent publications include Civil-Military Relations in Southeast Asia (Cambridge, 2018), Comparative Politics of Southeast Asia (Springer, 2018), and Civil-Military Relations: Control and Effectiveness across Regimes (co-edited with Tom Bruneau, Lynne Rienner, 2019). Olli Hellmann is Senior Lecturer in Political Science and International Relations at the University of Waikato, Aotearoa/New Zealand. He specializes in the comparative analysis of political institutions with a special focus on Northeast and Southeast Asia. Recent relevant publications include a co-edited special issue of International Political Science Review (with Aurel Croissant), examining the link between state capacity and autocratic regime resilience, and an article in Crime, Law and Social Change that addresses the historical origins of different corruption types.

Reviews
'Croissant and Hellmann have assembled an impressive volume around a theme of immense scholarly and practical importance - namely, the relationship between state capacity and democracy. Together, the chapters in this volume offer a nuanced view of the way in which state capacity and democracy interact and co-evolve in a variety of country contexts.' Allen Hicken, University of Michigan
'By focusing on the state-democracy nexus, this volume unpacks the various theoretical and conceptual relationships between stateness and democratic consolidation. Drawing on a collection of empirically rich case studies of democratic transitions in Asia, the authors inductively generate new insights into the complicated and varied pathways to and from democracy. Hellmann and Croissant have put together a refreshing take on democracy in a region where political reform is tenuous and a moment in the world when democracy's prospects are fraught.' Joseph Wong, University of Toronto
'This study contributes to the existing research by recognizing the effects of informal institutions and networks on shaping state capacity ... This book will be relevant to scholars of state-democracy relations and Asian studies in general ... Recommended.' X. Li, Choice Magazine



Book Information
ISBN 9781108797382
Author Aurel Croissant
Format Paperback
Page Count 291
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 450g
Dimensions(mm) 228mm * 151mm * 17mm