The diffusion of democratic innovations

Democratic reforms are one of the many areas where intense debates occur to provide explanations for different waves of democratization. Regime changes are messy processes, influenced by geographical proximity, communication between social movements and democracy promotion (Elkink, 2011). This Handbook about the transfer of policies shows how complex the causal mechanisms triggering policy reforms are (as discussed in the chapter written by Kuhlmann). International players can add to their portfolio some special political institutions for democracy promotion which can facilitate the transfer to other jurisdictions as there is no single model of democracy. Despite having a common interest at their core (sharing power beyond elite rule), there are largely distinct conversations structured around specific practices such as parliamentary strengthening programmes, direct democracy mechanisms and other types of instruments allowing citizen engagement. But can democratic institutions be exported? Or is it merely the transfer of bureaucratic rules related to ‘good governance’?