Date Thesis Awarded

5-2017

Access Type

Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only

Degree Name

Bachelors of Arts (BA)

Department

International Relations

Advisor

Daniel Maliniak

Committee Members

Paula Pickering

Frederick Corney

Abstract

This thesis evaluates the effect of EU and NATO conditionality on institutional change in the Republic of Georgia. It hypothesizes that as developing democracies undergo prolonged accession processes with the EU and/or NATO, citizens are more likely to become disillusioned with the accession process. Disillusionment among citizens allows for the election anti-Western, non-democratic candidates and political parties to power, who, once elected, are able to institute non-democratic reforms that reverse institutional democratization. This thesis tests this theory using a mixed qualitative and qualitative analysis of Georgia, and draws parallels with the theory-building case of Turkey. Overall, the thesis finds preliminary support for the proposed theory in Georgian public opinion surveys, Georgian parliamentary party representation, and comparisons of institutional change in Georgia and Turkey.

Recommended Citation

De Roster, Carolyn A., "The Role of EU and NATO Conditionality on Developing Democracies: A Georgian Case Study" (2017). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 1035.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1035