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The Transition to Democracy: Collective Action and Intra-elite Conflict

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  • Ghosal, Sayantan
  • Proto, Eugenio

Abstract

This paper studies how intra-elite conáict results in transition to democracy, characterized as both franchise extension to, and lowering the individual cost of collective political action for, an initially disorganized non-elite. Two risk averse elites compete for the appropriation of a unit of social surplus with initial uncertainty about their future relative bargaining power. Both elements of a democracy are necessary to ensure that the two elites credibly commit to a mutually fairer share of the surplus and we derive su¢ cient conditions for democracy to emerge in equilibrium. Our formal analysis accounts for stylized facts that emerge from an analysis of Indian and West European democracies.

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  • Ghosal, Sayantan & Proto, Eugenio, 2007. "The Transition to Democracy: Collective Action and Intra-elite Conflict," Economic Research Papers 269757, University of Warwick - Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:uwarer:269757
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.269757
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    Cited by:

    1. Pellicer, Miquel, 2009. "Inequality persistence through vertical vs. horizontal coalitions," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(2), pages 258-266, November.

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