Mobilization for and against Democracy

Abstract

This essay reviews scholarship on mobilization and its various consequences for democracy and autocracy. It highlights how collective action can advance democratization, stall or reverse it, or reinforce authoritarian rule. The review synthesizes key themes in this literature, including organizational foundations, coalitions, diffusion, tactics, and discourse, as well as the long-term implications of mobilization for democratic consolidation and deepening. It also considers how authoritarian leaders and regimes actively mobilize their supporters, in both democratic systems and authoritarian contexts. The essay concludes by outlining directions for future research, emphasizing the need for multi-level approaches that bridge subnational findings and cross-national comparison.