Institutionally and practically speaking, countries such as modern-day Japan, as well as India up until the late 1980s, generally fall within the category of liberal democratic states. Yet, as Ozan …
Patronage Politics and Democracy: A Mutually Exclusive Pair? – by Matthew Sparks
The fundamental idea of clientelism, at first glance, naturally seems to be a rather undemocratic practice, considering that such patronage-networking effectively encourages outright vote-buying. …
Deliberately Missing the Point: How Russia’s Electoral Institutions Aid in Vote Manipulation, by Matthew Sparks
On paper, at least, Russia has all of the necessary institutions of a functioning liberal democracy, with regular elections and even bodies specifically devoted to overseeing the election process. …