Transitionalism vs. Transnationalism: Conflicting Trends in Independent Latvia
Transitionalism vs. Transnationalism: Conflicting Trends in Independent Latvia

Summary/Abstract: Over the past three decades a substantial body of literature in comparative politics has addressed political and economic change from the perspective of "transitionalism." Reflecting a distinctly western bias, many analysts have assumed that change in authoritarian systems logically leads to democratic behavior, participatory institutions, and economic transformations. This linear approach to change portrays the process as moving either forward or backward while within the transitional phase, the development of participatory attitudes is learned, refined, and implemented. The term "democratic transition" has thus become associated with a conscious movement by political elites or populations toward democratic principles and away from authoritarian practices. [...]

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