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Puzzles of political change in the Middle East: Political liberalisation, authoritarian resilience and the question of systemic change

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  • Schlumberger, Oliver

Abstract

One decade after the Arab uprisings of 2010/11, the present discussion paper revisits processes of political change in the Middle East and North Africa MENA) with a focus on the question of systemic change. Core questions in this context are: How, among all possible varieties of political change, do we know when political change is systemic? When do we speak of "democratisation", and when of "authoritarian upgrading" or "- re-consolidation"? Can we predict such processes? If not, can we at least tell when systemic transition is more or less likely to occur, and what influences its occurrence? The three parts of this discussion paper build on one another in order to address and answer these puzzles.

Suggested Citation

  • Schlumberger, Oliver, 2021. "Puzzles of political change in the Middle East: Political liberalisation, authoritarian resilience and the question of systemic change," IDOS Discussion Papers 5/2021, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:diedps:52021
    DOI: 10.23661/dp5.2021
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    Cited by:

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    2. Domínguez, J. Carlos, 2021. "Identity and discourse within diverse international networks: The Managing Global Governance network seen through the lens of thematic oral history," IDOS Discussion Papers 14/2021, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    3. Bante, Jana & Helmig, Felix & Prasad, Lara & Scheu, Lea Deborah & Seipel, Jean Christoph & Senkpiel, Helge & Geray, Markus & von Schiller, Armin & Sebudubudu, David & Ziaja, Sebastian, 2021. "E-government and democracy in Botswana: Observational and experimental evidence on the effects of e-government usage on political attitudes," IDOS Discussion Papers 16/2021, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    4. Yanguas, Pablo, 2021. "What have we learned about learning? Unpacking the relationship between knowledge and organisational change in development agencies," IDOS Discussion Papers 9/2021, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).

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