From the international transition to learning about democracy: “Learning imposed not by compulsory instruction, but acquired through dialogue and reflection”

Abstract

In this paper, I reflect on the evolution of the study of democratization, moving from a focus on political transitions to a broader understanding based on democratic learning. In my early work as a transitional scholar, I analyzed processes of change from authoritarian regimes to democracies in contexts with pre-existing institutional traditions, where learning did not play a central role. However, with time and the expansion of the comparative field, I have come to recognize that democratization is a complex, protracted, and sometimes reversible process in which learning is fundamental.