Democratization

Aims & Scope

Democratization is devoted to the study of the broad phenomenon of democratization – defined as the way democratic norms, institutions and practices evolve and are disseminated or retracted both within and across national and cultural boundaries.

In particular, the journal aims to promote a better understanding of distinct phenomena, such as: transition to democracy and democratic installation, democratic consolidation and crisis, and deepening or weakening of democratic qualities.

While the journal does not consider authoritarianism simply as a pre-stage to democracy, it also welcomes studies on various aspects of authoritarian polities, politics and policies, with the journal’s explicit aim to develop a broader understanding of possible relationships between authoritarian and democratic politics.

While the focus lies on democratization viewed as a process, the journal also builds on the enduring interest in democracy itself and its analysis.

Democratization looks at contemporary developments through a comparative lens.

There is special reference to democracy, autocracy and democratization in the regions of the Global South and in post-communist societies, but not to the exclusion of other relevant areas such as North America, Australasia, and the European Union and its member states.

View Aims & Scope

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Metrics & Ranking

Impact Factor

Year	Value
2025	2.9
2024	3.70

SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)

Year	Value
2024	1.964

Quartile

Year	Value
2024	Q1

h-index

Year	Value
2024	73

Journal Rank

Year	Value
2024	1491

Journal Citation Indicator

Year	Value
2024	1313

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Abstracting & Indexing

Journal is indexed in leading academic databases, ensuring global visibility and accessibility of our peer-reviewed research.

• Scopus
• Google Scholar
• Web of Science

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Subjects & Keywords

Journal’s research areas, covering key disciplines and specialized sub-topics in Social Sciences, designed to support cutting-edge academic discovery.

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Most Cited Articles

The Most Cited Articles section features the journal's most impactful research, based on citation counts. These articles have been referenced frequently by other researchers, indicating their significant contribution to their respective fields.

• A third wave of autocratization is here: what is new about it?

  Citation: 717

  Authors: Anna, Staffan I.

• The three pillars of stability: legitimation, repression, and co-optation in autocratic regimes

  Citation: 572

  Authors: Johannes

• Embedded and defective democracies

  Citation: 478

  Authors: Wolfgang

• Elections under authoritarianism: Preliminary lessons from Jordan

  Citation: 286

  Authors: Ellen

• The ambivalence of populism: threat and corrective for democracy

  Citation: 255

  Authors: Cristóbal Rovira

• Informal Institutions and Democracy

  Citation: 241

  Authors: Hans‐Joachim

• Populism and competitive authoritarianism in the Andes

  Citation: 237

  Authors: Steven, James

• How to classify hybrid regimes? Defective democracy and electoral authoritarianism

  Citation: 207

  Authors: Matthijs

• An externally constrained hybrid regime: Hungary in the European Union

  Citation: 202

  Authors: András, Dániel

• Democratic regression in comparative perspective: scope, methods, and causes

  Citation: 179

  Authors: Larry

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