I examine whether transitory events can tip the scales against authoritarian regimes and lead to persistent democratization. I think of situations where this is a possibility as democratic tipping points. The transitory events I focus on are rainfall shocks in the most agricultural countries in...

During the last three decades the world has experienced an unprecedented wave of democratization (the 3rd Wave). Employing various probabilistic panel models, we test traditional and recent political economy theories on the prerequisites for democracy in their natural field: in those countries...

This paper challenges recent empirical findings that democratic institutions have a negligible direct effect on economic growth. We delve into numerous historical sources and democracy indicators to identify the countries and timing of recent democratization episodes. We then employ a...