How Iran could democratize
| dc.contributor.advisor | Shirazi, Faegheh, 1952- | en |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Gholz, Eugene, 1971- | en |
| dc.creator | Damiano, Steven Tabak | en |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2015-11-13T18:08:15Z | en |
| dc.date.available | 2015-11-13T18:08:15Z | en |
| dc.date.issued | 2015-05 | en |
| dc.date.submitted | May 2015 | en |
| dc.date.updated | 2015-11-13T18:08:15Z | en |
| dc.description | text | en |
| dc.description.abstract | In this report, I apply modernization and political institution-based theories of democracy to the Islamic Republic of Iran to look at the conditions under which Iran could transition from authoritarian rule to democratic rule. I provide an overview of the unique features of democracy and argue that democracies have a better track record than authoritarian regimes in refraining from the use of violence against their citizens and avoiding disastrous economic policies, two areas where the Islamic Republic has a poor track record. I then provide an overview of theories that explain the most likely way Iran could democratize and theories that explain why Iran has persisted as an authoritarian regime. I argue that democracy results from the development of a strong private sector in which economic groups are independent from the state. I go on to provide an in-depth look at how the Iranian government has persisted as an authoritarian regime by thwarting the development of private sector growth and redistributing oil resources to the population. I further explain how President Rouhani's attempt to rescue Iran from the economic crisis created by his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, could lead Iran to democratize in the medium-term future by developing a strong private sector. I conclude by summarizing my findings and showing what the implications of a democratic versus an authoritarian Iran would be. | en |
| dc.description.department | Middle Eastern Studies | en |
| dc.description.department | Global Policy Studies | en |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | en |
| dc.identifier | doi:10.15781/T2R64G | en |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2152/32443 | en |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.subject | Iran | en |
| dc.subject | Democracy | en |
| dc.subject | Authoritarianism | en |
| dc.subject | Modernization theory | en |
| dc.title | How Iran could democratize | en |
| dc.type | Thesis | en |
| thesis.degree.department | Middle Eastern Studies | en |
| thesis.degree.department | Global Policy Studies | en |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Middle Eastern Studies | en |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Global Policy Studies | en |
| thesis.degree.grantor | The University of Texas at Austin | en |
| thesis.degree.level | Masters | en |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Arts | en |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Global Policy Studies | en |