We develop a theory of political transitions inspired in part by the experiences of Western Europe and Latin America …. Nondemocratic societies are controlled by a rich elite. The initially disenfranchised poor can contest power by threatening social … unrest or revolution, and this may force the elite to democratize. Democracy may not consolidate because it is more …

regime changes are often followed by redistribution to the poor at the expense of the former elite. We argue that the reason … why the elite may have to resort to full-scale democratization, despite its apparent costs to themselves, may be that …Regimes controlled by a rich elite often collapse and make way for democracy amidst widespread social unrest. Such …

voting, where agents vote over income redistribution. The key feature of the theory is that the future constituency of … redistributive policies depends positively on the current level of redistribution, since this affects both private investments and … without a welfare state. The theory can explain why welfare state institutions, originally introduced in response to specific …

Even relatively poor people oppose high rates of redistribution because of the anticipation that they, or their …

political equilibria and acts as a commitment to redistribution. Our theory also offers a novel explanation for the Kuznets … widespread social unrest and revolution. Political transition, rather than redistribution under existing political institutions … curve in many Western economies during this period, with the fall in inequality following redistribution due to …

and benefits of redistribution through taxes, land reform or public schooling: such policies simultaneously depress …