Re-Examining Portugal's Road to Democracy

Kellogg focused its comparative social science lens on a European country that pioneered what was to become a worldwide turn toward democracy in the late 20th century. On Sept. 23, it convened a panel discussion, "Reconsidering the Portuguese Road to Democracy: Thirty Years After the Revolution of the Carnations," drawing both on outside speakers and Kellogg Faculty Fellows.

The two featured speakers, both of whom have made numerous important scholarly contributions on the topic, were António Costa Pinto of the Institute of Social Sciences (ICS) at the University of Lisbon and Nancy Bermeo, chair of the Department of Politics at Princeton University. Kellogg Faculty Fellow and former Institute Director Guillermo O'Donnell, whose work has consistently shaped scholarly debates on democratization, provided commentary on the Portuguese case. Faculty Fellow Robert Fishman, currently engaged in comparative research on Portuguese and Spanish democracy, chaired the session.