Juan Linz
The Breakdown of Democratic Regimes and The Perils of Presidentialism
Overview
Juan Linz was a career professor at Yale University and overall creator of “The Breakdown of Democratic Regimes” as well as “The Perils of Presidentialism” which were published 1978 and 1990 respectively. He spent his life studying subjects like why some democracies collapse while others last, and his work and critique on topics like democracy and presidentialism have been and continue to be influential and thought-provoking literature contemporarily.
Growing Up
The intellectual political scientist-in-waiting was born in Bonn, Germany in December 24, 1926 to a Spanish father and a German mother. Linz grew up in Spain and during the Spanish Civil War no less, which lasted from 1936 to 1939. The tumultuous political instability he experienced in Spain during that period of his life undoubtedly shaped his views on and intensified his curiosities about authoritarianism and democratic resilience or lack thereof. He went on to study at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, going to Columbia University for his Ph.D, eventually settling down in Yale University as a professor.
Influential Works
Some of his most influential works include:
Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes (1975)
The Breakdown of Democratic Regimes (1978)
The Perils of Presidentialism (1990)
Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation (1996)
This post will briefly go over the 1978 book and the 1990 essay, both heavily influential in their respective ways.
The Breakdown of Democratic Regimes
Done in collaboration with another brilliant mind — Alfred Stepan, it analyzed various factors that contributed to a failing democracy.
Major Findings:
Breakdown Not Inevitable — If it does occur, it’s likely because of bad leadership and decaying norms.
Polarization and System Rigidity — increases the risk of system failure in a democracy.
Presidentialism More Prone — democracies that are presidential are more vulnerable than parliamentary democracies.
The Perils of Presidentialism
In this essay, Linz argues for something he touched on briefly in “The Breakdown of Democratic regimes, which is that presidentialism is a structurally weaker alternative to parliamentarianism.
Key Weaknesses:
Short Terms — Fixed terms make crisis resolution more difficult
Zero Sum Game — Exacerbates political divide and worsens polarization.
Executive-Legislative Deadlock — can cause extended periods of crisis.
Populism Possibility — Strongmen Presidents can atrophy institutions with little to no checking power.
Legacy of Linz
Juan Linz’ influence on political science as a field cannot be overstated, he has developed new boundaries for his field and are foundational to future scholars in the field of political science. His research on democratic backsliding has allowed scholars to analyze cases of democratic erosion such as Turkey and Hungary. His argument that presidential democratic regimes are more prone to collapse have been cause of debate in places like South America and Africa. writers like Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky have used and built on his ideas, identifying and analyzing more contemporary threats to democracies.