Andrew Richard Ryder
Since 2010, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has carried through measures that have undermined the rule of law, with no prospect for changing this trajectory. However, argues Andrew Richard Ryder, current events present opportunities for a return to democratic values in Hungary Read more
Simone Chambers
This is not the time for collecting butterflies, writes Simone Chambers in response to Jean-Paul Gagnon. The threats to democracy we face today call for innovation and engagement, not typologies and definitions Read more
João AlÃpio Correa
The concept of 'illiberal democracy' is well-founded, but João AlÃpio Correa argues that it fails to convey what is happening in regimes described as such. To gain a more incisive understanding of the current deterioration in democratic regimes, he proposes the umbrella definition 'autocratisation' Read more
Görkem Altınörs
Görkem Altınörs and Ümit Akçay analyse the political economy of regime change in Turkey. The AKP's 'authoritarian fix' strategy was a response to multiple crises in the 2010s. Now, it has led to an attempt at authoritarian consolidation Read more
Damir Kapidžić
Illiberal politics are a way to understand the process by which ruling elites (mis)use democratic institutions of the state to create an electoral advantage for themselves with the aim to remain in power indefinitely. With a focus on Southeast Europe, Damir Kapidžić explains the concept's roots in institutional legacies of past regimes Read more
Benjamin Abrams
Democracy is in danger, and autocrats are becoming bolder and bolder. Benjamin Abrams argues that our failure to understand democracy stops us from effectively defending it. To protect democracy, we need to understand what it means, what kind we have, and what it can become Read more
Angelo Vito Panaro
Unprecedented anti-government protests spread across Kazakhstan in January 2022, andwere only quelled through a military solution. Angelo Vito Panaro argues that, despite the outcome, the protests expose the inherent fragility of the autocratic regime and the strength of public support for a democratic alternative Read more
Alexander De Juan
Dictators depend on committed bureaucrats to stay in power. To instil loyalty, some indoctrinate through enforced military service. Alexander De Juan, Felix Haaß, and Jan Pierskalla warn that this strategy can backfire. Rather than creating truly convinced cadres, conscription can help bureaucrats get better at faking loyalty Read more
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