A regime (also "régime") is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural
or social norms, etc., that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its
interactions with society. The two broad categories of regimes that appear in most
literature are democratic and autocratic. However, autocratic regimes can be broken
down into a subset of many different types (dictatorial, totalitarian, absolutist,
monarchic, oligarchic, etc.). The key similarity between all regimes are the presence
of rulers, and either formal or informal institutions.
There a three main types of political regimes today: democracies, totalitarian
regimes and, sitting between these two, authoritarian regimes (with hybrid regimes).
While the word régime originates as a synonym for any type of government, modern
usage has given it a negative connotation, implying an authoritarian government
or dictatorship.
There are two primary ways in which regimes are measured: continuous
measures of democracy (e.g. Freedom House (FH), Polity Data Series, and the
Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem)) and binary measures of democracy (e.g. Regimes
of the World). A continuous measure of democracy creates categorical classifications
based on gradations of democracy and autocracy though previously, primarily focused
on the differentiation of democracies and autocracies. A binary measure of democracy
classifies a country as either a democracy or not. V-Dem Institute, an independent
research institute that aims to conceptualize and measure democracy, serves as one of
the world’s most well-known continuous measures of democracy. V-Dem formally
describes their data utilizing a notation that contains ratings of numerous indicators.
Such indicators include access to justice, electoral corruption, and freedom from
government sponsored violence.