Dados é uma das principais e mais longevas publicações nas ciências sociais no Brasil. Criada em 1966, divulga trabalhos inéditos e inovadores, oriundos de pesquisa acadêmica, de autores brasileiros e estrangeiros. Editada pelo IESP-UERJ, é seu objetivo conciliar o rigor científico e a excelência acadêmica com ênfase no debate público a partir da análise de questões substantivas da sociedade e da política.
Dados vol. 29 n. 2 Rio de Janeiro 1986
Resumo
ln this paper, we examine the logic of a kind of transition to democracy that we term "transitions through above", and discuss Brazil and Spain as cases of this kind of transition. The first section briefly contrasts transitions through transaction with other non-revolutionary transitions to democracy and then outlines the roam characteristics of transitions through transaction. In the second section, we address the seemingly paradoxical question of why an authoritarian regime would alter the rules of the game that had sustained its own existence. We argue that liberalization and democratization afford some advantages to some authoritarian elites, and this kind of transition minimizes the risks that are always present in political transitions. The third section argues that while transition through transaction is an appealing alternative for authoritarian elites who wish to leave office, it is difficult to effect. Most of this section discusses conditions that facilitate such transitions. In particular, we argue that transitions through transaction require 1) that the authoritarian regime be well established and widely supported; 2) that the authoritarian regime be capable of controlling "subversive" threats; 3) that the democratic opposition accept some limits and rules set by the regime; 4) that there be limited mass mobilization; 5) and that there be reasonably strong leadership. The concluding section analyses benefits and costs of this kind of transition. On the positive side, these transitions offer relatively peaceful ways of establishing dernocratic regimes. On the negative side, they may afford less opportunity for a sharp break from the past.
Transição pela Transação: Democratização no Brasil e na Espanha
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