The Relevance of Elite Political Culture for Regime Change and Stability

Abstract

The concept of elite political culture offers an alternative approach to explain regime change and (in)stability. As ‘political elites’ are assumed not only to have a greater opportunity but also capability to influence and shape the structure of political institutions and therefore the political system, it is especially important to examine the relevance of their political culture for democratization processes or autocratic stability. The panel invites theoretical and empirical papers addressing questions such as: How significant is elite political culture compared to other impact factors in order to explain regime change and (in)stability? Does the gap between political institutions, mass culture and elite culture play a crucial role for the prospect of regime change? What kind of elites (e.g. opposition, economic, military or religious elites) matter for democratic change, democratic quality or autocratic stability? How do elites assure the legitimacy of the political system and political institutions?

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