As the 'Washington Consensus' reforms are losing momentum in Latin America, the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) is calling for shifting the focus from the content of policy choices to the political process of their implementation. As this paper studies the paradigmatic case of...

For theories of political succession and charismatic authority, the almost half-century long rule of Fidel Castro presents an extraordinary test case since Fidel in July 2006 handed over power "temporarily" to his deputy and brother Raúl. On the background of Max Weber's work on charismatic...

Albert O. Hirschmans Modell von "Abwanderung und Widerspruch" ("exit and voice"), das lange ein klassischer Ansatz für Studien zu den politischen Implikationen von Migration war, wurde im Rahmen des "methodologischen Nationalismus" entwickelt. Der zunehmend transnationale Charakter...

While traditional theories of legitimacy have focused on the nation-state, authoritarian regimes and democracies alike seek legitimation not only in the domestic realm but also from international sources. This paper argues that the degree to, and the form in, which they do so depend on the...

In the debate over the role of civil society under authoritarian regimes, the spread of transnational web-based media obliges us the rethink the arenas in which the societal voice can be raised - and heard. Taking the case of state-socialist Cuba, a diachronic comparison analyzes civil society...

The end of Cuban exceptionalism has been much announced since 1989, but a decade and a half later state socialism on the island is still enduring. Transition studies have been criticized for focusing on success stories. Exploring the deviant case of Cuba's "non-transition" from a comparative...

Authoritarian regimes use multiple forms of international cooperation to sustain their rule. In scholarly research, however, the study of these phenomena has been marginal and still lacks conceptual clarity. This paper takes stock of these shortcomings and embarks on a review of the existing...