Problems of democratization, its successes, failures and future prospects, belong to the most pressing concerns of our times. Empirical democratic theory has received many new impulses since the last ,,wave" of democratization in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa and Southeast and East Asia. In this volume the ,,state of the art" in this respect is discussed by leading international experts in this field including Laurence Whitehead, Gerardo Munck, Axel Hadenius and Juan Linz. From the contents: Some significant recent developments in the field of Democratization Concepts, measurements and sub-types in Democratization Research Agendas, findings, challenges Successes and failures of the new democracies Some thoughts on the victory and future of democracy