Political Support for Incomplete Democracies: Realist vs. Idealist Theories and Measures

Democratic regimes depend for their survival and effective functioning on the public's willing acquiescence and support; however, the measurement of support is problematic. The failure to appreciate the difference between established democracies and new regimes that may (or may not) be in the p...

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Veröffentlicht in:International Political Science Review / Revue internationale de science politique. - Sage Publications. - 22(2001), 4, Seite 303-320
1. Verfasser: Mishler, William (VerfasserIn)
Weitere Verfasser: Rose, Richard
Format: Online-Aufsatz
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: 2001
Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk:International Political Science Review / Revue internationale de science politique
Schlagworte:Democracy Democratization Legitimacy Measurement Political support Political science Philosophy Behavioral sciences Law
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Democratic regimes depend for their survival and effective functioning on the public's willing acquiescence and support; however, the measurement of support is problematic. The failure to appreciate the difference between established democracies and new regimes that may (or may not) be in the process of democratizing has prompted scholars to mismeasure support by relying on idealist measures. We propose a realist conception of political support and realist measures. We test these measures with data from the 1995-97 World Values Surveys, comparing their ability to describe and explain variations in support for both old and new regimes. Realist measures perform substantially better in all contexts and in ways that suggest the rationality of realist support. /// Pour leur survie comme pour leur fonctionnement effectif, les régimes démocratiques ont besoin de l'accord tacite et du soutien des citoyens. Mais comment mesurer ce soutien? Ne pas tenir compte, comme cela est fréquent, de la différence entre régimes établis et nouveaux régimes (que ces derniers soient ou non en voie de démocratisation) mène à l'utilisation de mesures idéales de la démocratie. Les auteurs proposent, à l'inverse, de privilégier des mesures réalistes, et, à partir des données des World Values Surveys de 1995-97, montrent que leurs mesures donnent, du point de vue de l'analyse, les résultats les plus satisfaisants.
ISSN:01925121