David Stasavage, "The Decline and Rise of Democracy: A Global History from Antiquity to Today" (Princeton UP, 2020)

Oct 18, 2025

David Stasavage, the Dean for Social Sciences at NYU and author of The Decline and Rise of Democracy, explores the rich history of democracy beyond ancient Greece. He discusses how weak state institutions often led to early democratic practices. Stasavage contrasts the political effects of bureaucracies in different societies and highlights the importance of literacy in governance. He also reflects on the legacy of Magna Carta, the coexistence of slavery with democratic rights, and urges a rethink of citizen-representative connections in modern democracies.

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INSIGHT

Project Grew From A Comparative Puzzle

David Stasavage expanded a Europe-focused project into a global history of democracy after probing why representative institutions emerged in Europe but not China or the Middle East.
That shift revealed democracy's diverse global origins and long-term patterns beyond the usual Greek/European story.

INSIGHT

Bureaucracy Shapes Regime Type

Strong bureaucracies reduce rulers' need for popular consent and therefore make autocracy more likely.
Weak or absent bureaucracies force rulers to coop with society, creating conditions where early democratic practices can emerge.

INSIGHT

Writing Enabled Large Bureaucracies

Writing and broader literacy enabled complex bureaucracies by allowing communication across distance and time.
China’s examination system and woodblock printing spread textual access and staffed state bureaucracies without a prior proto-democracy.

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Historical accounts of democracy's rise tend to focus on ancient Greece and pre-Renaissance Europe. The Decline and Rise of Democracy: A Global History from Antiquity to Today (Princeton University Press, 2020) draws from global evidence to show that the story is much richer--democratic practices were present in many places, at many other times, from the Americas before European conquest, to ancient Mesopotamia, to precolonial Africa. Delving into the prevalence of early democracy throughout the world, David Stasavage makes the case that understanding how and where these democracies flourished--and when and why they declined--can provide crucial information not just about the history of governance, but also about the ways modern democracies work and where they could manifest in the future.

Drawing from examples spanning several millennia, Stasavage first considers why states developed either democratic or autocratic styles of governance and argues that early democracy tended to develop in small places with a weak state and, counterintuitively, simple technologies. When central state institutions (such as a tax bureaucracy) were absent--as in medieval Europe--rulers needed consent from their populace to govern. When central institutions were strong--as in China or the Middle East--consent was less necessary and autocracy more likely. He then explores the transition from early to modern democracy, which first took shape in England and then the United States, illustrating that modern democracy arose as an effort to combine popular control with a strong state over a large territory. Democracy has been an experiment that has unfolded over time and across the world--and its transformation is ongoing.

Amidst rising democratic anxieties, The Decline and Rise of Democracy widens the historical lens on the growth of political institutions and offers surprising lessons for all who care about governance.

David Stasavage is dean for the social sciences and Julius Silver Professor of Politics at New York University.

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