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Implications of Culture on the Successes and Failures of Democratic Transition in Georgia and Azerbaijan: A Comparative Study

thesis
posted on 2023-09-07, 05:04 authored by Michelle Bryant

The objective of this study is to evaluate claims made by some scholars that there is a significant correlation between certain cultural norms of a given society and that society's propensity towards democratic governance. I will attempt to show that this is in fact a viable, though not solitary, explanation for the varied types and degrees of democracy in existence today. To do this, I will compare and contrast two countries which share many similarities in their historical experiences, but are critically dissimilar in their current status as successful democracies: Georgia and Azerbaijan. The shared legacy of Soviet rule in these states provides a uniform starting point from which to observe subsequent divergent developments in democracy. This study will explore post-Communist successes and failures of each state, using generally accepted democratic benchmarks to be defined below, and attempt to relate these back to observable cultural characteristics present in each state. The research presented here has significant implications for scholars and politicians alike in their quest to promote prosperity and stabilization through the means of democracy. The consideration of culture as a significant driver of institutional success or failure could result in a vast improvement and expansion of possible policy solutions.

History

Publisher

ProQuest

Language

English

Handle

http://hdl.handle.net/1961/15094

Committee chair

Mamuka Tsereteli

Committee member(s)

Daniel Schneider

Degree discipline

International Affairs

Degree grantor

American University. School of International Service

Degree level

  • Masters

Degree name

M.A. in International Affairs, American University, 2013

Local identifier

thesesdissertations_37_OBJ.pdf

Media type

application/pdf

Pagination

109 pages

Access statement

Electronic thesis available to American University authorized users only, per author's request.

Call number

Thesis 10002

MMS ID

99139851843604102

Submission ID

10440

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