Trends in Political Science Research: Regime Change

Research on regime change has expanded substantially since the third wave of democratization, producing diverse theories and broader empirical coverage. Building on this foundation, this article argues that regime change is not a linear transition between discrete regime types, but a spectrum of political configurations shaped by interactions of external shocks, political institutions, and strategic actors. Reviewing recent studies, it highlights three trends: multidimensional causes of transitions, the role and impact of varied actors and coalitions, and a variety of outcomes from authoritarian resilience to democratic backsliding. The review identifies two promising avenues for future research, namely greater integration of Asian cases and closer examination of advanced democracies, as well as it emphasizes the importance of the interaction between formal and informal institutions in sustaining constitutional order.