Hybrid Regimes in Comparative Politics: Are They Here to Stay?

Abstract

Traditionally Comparative Politics has been working with clear types of regimes, such as autocracies and democracies. In recent decades, this typology has been extended through various classic and diminished subtypes, for example defective democracy. Nevertheless, it seems that even this extension does not cover all empirical findings. This is true for regimes but also for its components, such as rule of law or civil society. In all realms, the existing types do not fit very well anymore. As a result, a growing number of hybrid findings is reported. This is surprising because hybrid types are normally understood as exceptional and transitional. Therefore, several questions arise: • Can the reported growing number of hybrid regimes be confirmed? What are the reasons for the development of hybrid types? • What are the most promising conceptual strategies to make sense of regime hybridity? • Can we differentiate further between subtypes of hybrid regimes? • Are hybrid regimes here to stay? What are the mechanisms supporting their stability?