The Anatomy of Democratic Backsliding

How do duly elected rulers weaken checks on executive power, curtail civil and political liberties, and undermine the integrity of the electoral process? Drawing on sixteen cases of backsliding from Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Africa as well as the United States, our theory of backsliding foc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of democracy 2021-10, Vol.32 (4), p.27-41
Main Authors: Haggard, Stephan, Kaufman, Robert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Authoritarianism
Autocracy
Competition
Democracy
Economic reform
Elections
Legislatures
Morality
Polarization
Political power
Populism
Power
Presidential powers
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Summary:How do duly elected rulers weaken checks on executive power, curtail civil and political liberties, and undermine the integrity of the electoral process? Drawing on sixteen cases of backsliding from Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Africa as well as the United States, our theory of backsliding focuses on three causal mechanisms: the pernicious effects of polarization; rulers’ control of the legislature; and the incremental nature of abuses of power, which divide and disorient oppositions.
ISSN:1045-5736
1086-3214
1086-3214
DOI:10.1353/jod.2021.0050