Towards a Model Explaining the Political (In)stability and Variety of Regimes in the Post-Soviet Region

Abstract

The article examines the conditions of political stability and different regime trajectories in the post-Soviet region. The impact of political, socioeconomic, and cultural factors is explored to identify the necessary and sufficient conditions for political stability and democracy, as well as their relationship with each other. Applying fuzzy set comparative analysis, this article demonstrates the significance of social inclusion in political stability, although it cannot confirm any causality between political stability and democracy in the post-Soviet region. In terms of the necessary conditions for democracy, only a democratic political culture is significant; while both democratic political cultureandthe absence of a strong economic dependence on natural resources are sufficient conditions for democracy in the region.