From Eastern Europe of 1989 to the Arab Spring of the present, waves of democracy transform entire regions of the globe. But it is difficult to understand how these democratic waves function. However, this experimental study brings a new perspective to this age-old puzzle. By creating and experimenting with a computer simulation of the real world (an agent-based model), this investigation is uniquely able to study the spread of democracy. The results of this experiment make a fascinating prediction about the future of democracy and authoritarianism. The results also illustrate how democracies can better pursue the goal of creating more democracies, as well as how authoritarians states might resist democratization.
