Search

The linkage model of external democratization contends that strong ties of transition countries to estab-lished democracies decisively foster political transformation. Yet, the model has only been tested at the aggregate level of states and on transition countries already moving ahead with democracy. This paper takes a different perspective by examining whether linkage to 'the West' may also transfer democratic rules and practices into Arab authoritarian regimes hitherto reluctant toward political liberalization. It will be examined whether social and communication ties to democracies can create important domestic stakeholders for democratic change by transforming state officials into democrats within a non-democratic polity. In order to directly examine attitude change rather than infer it from behaviour, an original scale is developed. Empirically, the argument is tested on Morocco's linkage to Europe using data from an original survey among state officials employed in different ministries. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]