Democracy, dictatorship, and term limits
A national constitution or other statute typically specifies restrictions on executive power, often including a limit to the number of terms the chief executive may hold office. In recent decades, however, some presidents of newly established democracies have extended their tenure by various semilegal means, thereby raising the specter--and in some cases creating the reality--of dictatorship. Alexander Baturo tracks adherence to and defiance of presidential term limits in all types of regimes (…
Read More ↓Title Statements
- Full title :Democracy, dictatorship, and term limits / Alexander Baturo.
Summary
A national constitution or other statute typically specifies restrictions on executive power, often including a limit to the number of terms the chief executive may hold office. In recent decades, however, some presidents of newly established democracies have extended their tenure by various semilegal means, thereby raising the specter--and in some cases creating the reality--of dictatorship. Alexander Baturo tracks adherence to and defiance of presidential term limits in all types of regimes (not only democratic regimes) around the world since 1960. Drawing on original data collection and fieldwork to investigate the factors that encourage playing by or manipulating the rules, he asks what is at stake for the chief executive if he relinquishes office. Baturo finds that the income-generating capacity of political office in states where rent-seeking is prevalent, as well as concerns over future immunity and status, determines whether or not an executive attempts to retain power beyond the mandated period. Democracy, Dictatorship, and Term Limitswill appeal to scholars of democratization and executive power and also to political theorists.
Read More ↓Edition Statements
- Publication Date:2014
Publication Statements
- Publisher(s):University of Michigan Press
- Place of Publication:Ann Arbor
- Language:eng
- Publication Date:2014
The Physical Object
- Description:1 online resource (xiv, 333 pages)
Edition Identifiers
- ISBN:9780472120239, 0472120239
- oclc:ocn871257297
- LC Classification:JC423
- Dewey Decimal:321.8
Table of Contents
Introduction : term limits and the new Caesarism -- Term limits in historical pserspective -- Continuismo in comparison : from a few more years to a presidency for life -- The costs and benefits of leaving presidential office -- The stakes of losing office in comparison -- Endogenous term limits : statistical analyses -- Personal background of presidents and constitutional compliance -- Effects of presidential term limits -- Conclusion: presidentialism, democracy and term limits -- Appendix: Continuismo and constitutions.
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