Sociological and political science theory face a complex and difficult task: arguably, none of the available theories is able to offer a coherent and self-sufficient explanation of democratisation processes due to their manifold paths. The author is thus not surprised that many scholars working in this area are turning towards eclecticism. Article further discusses two core concepts - that of democratic transition and democratic consolidation - and elaborates upon the following three key explanations of transition to democracy: modernization, transition and structural theory. The last chapter focuses on the search for a good explanatory theory in this field of social research.
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