Takes stock of democratic progress in the world, reflects upon the causes of democratic difficulty in the world, and addresses some of the critical conditions for democratic success. This book analyzes democratic dilemmas and prospects in particular regions and countries.

1. Introduction: In Search of Democracy Part I. The Dynamics and Foundations of Democracy 2. The Quality of Democracy (with Leonardo Morlino) 3. Measuring Democracy (with Emily Green and William Gallery) 4. Is Democracy in Decline? 5. Why Democracies Survive 6. Civil Society and Democratic Consolidation 7. Liberation Technology 8. Hybrid Regimes 9. Why Are There No Arab Democracies? Part II. In Search of Democracy in Africa 10. Class Formation in the Swollen African State 11. Class, Ethnicity and the Democratic State: Nigeria, 1950-66 12. Issues in the Constitutional Design of a Third Nigerian Republic 13. Progress and Retreat in Africa: The Rule of Law versus the Big Man 14. Promoting Real Reform in Africa 15. Petroleum To the People (with Jack Mosbacher) Part III: In Search of Democracy in Asia 16. The Coming Wave of East Asian Democracy 17. Why China’s Democratic Transition Will Differ From Taiwan’s 18. Hong Kong’s Democratic Prospects 19. Indonesia’s Place in Global Democracy 20. Burma’s Political Opening Part IV: Promoting Democracy: Policy Implications 21. Empowering the Poor: What Does Democracy Have to Do with It? 22. Promoting Democracy in Post-Conflict and Failed States 23. Promoting Democracy: Enduring Tensions and New Opportunities

Presenting decades of accumulated insight, wisdom, and constructive provocation, this volume is not only an irreplaceable account of the global state of democracy but also a remarkable testament to the power and value of one original, rigorous mind taking on an entire field of study across a defining generation of landmark events and trends.Thomas Carothers, Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceThe book – In Search of Democracy - brings together some of the seminal writings of Larry Diamond that have made him a pre-eminent figure among scholars of democracy and comparative democratic development. The essays in this twenty-three chapter volume are typically comprehensive and brim with insights, thanks in no small measure to the equal emphasis Diamond places on the factors of structure, culture, state, society, politics, and political economy, backed by sound empirical data and appropriate illustrations. The unique combination of hard-headed analysis, passionately delivered in accessible prose, should make the collection indispensable to all students and policy actors in the field of comparative democratization and accountable governance. E. Gyimah-Boadi, Executive Director of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development and the Afrobarometer; and retired professor of political science at the University of Ghana, Legon. Larry Diamond is the foremost scholar in fostering and guiding the burgeoning field of democratization over the past three decades. This collection includes the bulk of his most illuminating works of agenda-setting significance. This book cannot be ignored by anybody wanting a full grasp of all the most important intellectual debates over problems and opportunities of emerging democracies, especially during the critical phase of democratic consolidation, and the complex strategic issues as well as difficult policy choices surrounding democracy promotion.Yun-han Chu, Distinguished Research Fellow of the Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica