CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Sun, Yibo |
|---|---|
| Title | Constitutional Crossroads: When Democracies Switch Forms of Government |
| Summary | This thesis applies Alan Renwick’s electoral reform model (2010) to form of government reform in democracies. By doing so, this thesis argues that the fundamental mechanics underlying form of government change are similar to electoral system change. In general, form of government reform is as rare as electoral reform in an uninterrupted democracy. However, such changes have occurred. This thesis focuses on the six democratic forms of government that exists by the end of 2024. Building on and modifying Salih Bayram’s identification of nine such reforms globally 1945-2014 (2016), the thesis lists six democracies (France, Papua New Guinea, Israel, Moldova, Czech Republic and Senegal) that have experienced form of government change 1945-2024. When democracies attempt to change form of government, there are key actors (politicians and citizens) who push for or fight against this reform. This Renwick-based form of government reform model provides food for thought on the evolution of democratic institutions. In particular, civil society can take note of the drivers and impediments to such fundamental changes of a political system. |
| Supervisor | Bogaards, Matthijs |
| Department | Political Science MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/sun_yibo.pdf |
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