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democratic backsliding

January 16, 2025

🌊 There are no independent regulators under populist rule

Rafael Labanino Illiberal populists politicise regulatory agencies. Under populist governments, regulatory agencies engage primarily with interest groups which enjoy close connections to the ruling parties. This is bad news for democratic quality and the quality of governance, write Rafael Labanino and Michael Dobbins Read more
August 8, 2024

What do Italians think of the dangers of authoritarianism under Meloni? 

Antonio Campati Antonio Campati, Martino Mazzoleni, and Andrea Scavo find, based on survey evidence, that Italians do not perceive an authoritarian risk in the far-right government led by Giorgia Meloni. However, they also discover a generational difference in attitudes towards democracy that may constitute concern for the future Read more
July 9, 2024

What aspects of political representation matter to citizens?

Liron Lavi Liron Lavi and Clareta Treger argue that citizens hold a multi-dimensional perception of political representation. Using Israel as a case study, they find that citizens feel represented on dimensions that are not important to them, and also on dimensions that reflect their satisfaction with democracy Read more
March 7, 2024

🌈 De-democratisation in South Asia weakens gender equality

Sohela Nazneen This year, millions of people in South Asia head to the polls. Potential outcomes of elections in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, however, do not bode well for women’s rights or gender equality, says Sohela Nazneen. The road ahead is difficult for women’s and LGBTQ+ struggles, as autocratic leaders consolidate power, and right-wing populists, digital repression, and violence against women and sexual minorities are all on the rise Read more
March 5, 2024

🌈 Women’s roles in anti-authoritarian resistance

Saskia Brechenmacher Saskia Brechenmacher, Erin Jones, and Özge Zihnioğlu write that gender is critical to understanding popular resistance against democratic erosion and autocratic hardening around the world Read more
February 21, 2024

‘Democratic’ governments exploit protests to increase attacks on citizens' right to resist

Joseph Ward The rise of authoritarian politics in ‘formal democracies’ across Europe has been met with various forms of protest. Some of these movements have achieved partial success. But evidence from the UK and France suggests that neoliberal governments are harnessing such resistance to accelerate authoritarianism and hostility towards marginalised people, write Joseph Ward and Thomas Da Costa Vieira Read more
February 15, 2024

♟ The EU didn’t foresee autocratisation in Central and Eastern Europe – neither did political science

James Dawson The EU did not foresee how autocratisation would unfold in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). But political scientists failed to raise the alarm, too. Lise Herman, James Dawson and Aurelia Ananda show that optimistic assumptions about democratisation misled policy makers and researchers alike Read more
February 9, 2024

🔮 Populist polarisation might benefit democracy – as Southeast Asia suggests

Diego Fossati We typically associate populism with corrosive partisan polarisation. Indeed, populist rhetoric often denigrates opponents as 'enemies of the people'. But while polarisation can have negative effects on democracy, Diego Fossati argues that it may also bring unexpected benefits. Using cases from Southeast Asia, he offers some convincing evidence Read more

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