Transitology is a concept and analytical framework applied in political and social science to analyse and assess political regime change and the subsequent consolidation process of democratic institutions. It explains the different pathways how democratic institutions and regimes slowly consolidate and strengthen over time. Transitology also explains why weak and corrupted democratic institutions fail and backslide into authoritarian political practices and, subsequently, autocracies.
Such processes of transition and democratisation have been seen in countries and societies in Europe after WWII in 1945, during and after the decolonisation process in Africa and Latin America in the 1960s, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Not all have been successful, as seen in post-soviet Russia or post-colonial countries such as Nigeria, and post-junta regimes such as Venezuela.
Regime change and the transition from one regime type and mode of governance to another do not say much about whether a regime is democratic or whether the rule of law, human rights, or good governance principles are adhered to. What consolidates and successfully transforms democratic institutions into ‘stable democracies’ are the pathways of participatory, inclusive, and trustworthy adherence and compliance with democratic rules and human rights.
In this MOOC, we will ask critical questions: How do countries and political regimes successfully democratise? And what are the causes of democratic backsliding? How do democracies die, and how do they recover, if at all? Together with policymakers, academic researchers, and analysts, we will explore different forms of government and look at theories explaining political and societal transitions, transformation, and consolidation of regimes. We will also present and discuss concrete examples of political transitions and regime changes in different world regions.
The MOOC runs over 5 weeks and is organised in 3 modules:
Module 1 - Transitology and Waves of Democratisation
Module 2 - Modes of Governance and Regime Consolidation
Module 3 - Backsliding of Democracy and Restoring Deficits
In this MOOC, academic lecturers in the field of Regime/System Transformation, Quality of Democracy, Elections, and Comparative Politics have been invited to teach, as well as practitioners, data analysts, and policymakers from countries that are currently struggling with the backsliding of democratic institutions and/or are in demanding political regime change in their countries. The faculty list includes, among others (read all bios here):
Arusyak Aleksanyan
Associate Professor, Yerevan State University
Mozn Hassan
Right Livelihood Laureate 2016, Founder of NAZRA
Damir Kapidžić
Associate Professor, University of Sarajevo
Wolfgang Merkel
Former Director, Social Science Research Centre Berlin
Thomas Millar
Democratic Governance, DG INTPA, European Commission
Leonardo Morlino
Professor Emeritus, LUISS
Jacqueline Moudeina
Right Livelihood Laureate 2011
Pippa Norris
Lecturer, Harvard University, Director of Electoral Integrity Project
The course is coordinated by Dr. Anja Mihr, OSCE Academy in Bishkek & Center on Governance through Human Rights in Berlin, who is also the main lecturer in the MOOC.
Anja Mihr
MOOC Scientific Coordinator, OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
In this MOOC you will learn about the different concepts, theories, normative and organisational frameworks, and setups, as well as historical and current best practices and case studies. You will also learn how to use them analytically in your day-to-day fieldwork or for academic research purposes.
Together with other MOOC participants, you will discuss…
You will learn to…
At the end of the course, you will be able to…
You can start the enrolment process by clicking the "enrol" button.
The course is a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), which means we do not select participants on any basis. Rather, we welcome anyone who is interested in learning more about the topic to enrol and participate for free.
Our course is a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), which means all components are open and totally free for anyone.
There are no registration or tuition fees. The certificate of participation is also free and offered to all those who successfully complete all the course requirements (see below for details on the certificate).
We want all participants in our courses to enjoy a great learning experience and we strive to always improve accessibility. Each week of the course includes one or two video lectures with accompanying transcripts and reading materials. The texts are in PDF format, work at low bandwidths, are printable and can be zoomed to the desired size. Some readings may include pages from accessible websites. This makes all of them accessible to those who use assistive technology software such as screen readers. Likewise, weekly discussions and module quizzes can be completed through our platform which is accessible, for example, to people who use speech input, keyboard accessible controls or text to speech tools. For more details please visit EdX Website Accessibility Policy.
The course is self-paced and mostly asynchronous so participants can study in their own time. However, to enhance peer learning, interactive participation and self-assessment, weekly topics and discussions as well as module quizzes are proposed at set dates. In any case, they are all open until the end of the course to facilitate access and completion at any preferred time.
At the end of the course, if you have actively participated in all required weekly discussions and successfully completed all quizzes, you will receive a certificate confirming your participation.