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University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA

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Levelling the Political Playing Field: How Nonviolent Resistance Influences Power Relations After Democratic Transition

Markus Bayer
Felix S. Bethke
Daniel Lambach
Year of publication: 2020
DOI: 10.63961/2025.120
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Abstract

Nonviolent resistance (NVR) is being used successfully as a strategy to depose dictators and achieve political change around the globe. This study explores how NVR not only advances democratic transition but also has a long-term effect on political power relations after transition. Bringing together the literatures on nonviolent resistance and political regimes, we develop a framework to analyze the effects of different modes of resistance on post-transition power relations in four different aspects: cabinet politics, party politics, peaceful turnover of power, and the political influence of civil society. Based on the in-depth analysis of two African democracies (Namibia and Benin), each resulting from a different mode of transition, we show that NVR levels the political playing field by fostering frequent elite replacement among government ministers, increasing the chances for peaceful political turnovers, inducing a more competitive and diverse party system, and creating a more inclusive environment for civil society organizations

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