What is democratic backsliding. / What is democratic backsliding?.

What is democratic backsliding. When most democratic governments were founded, The United States has joined the list of countries where democracy is backsliding, according to a new report by the think tank International IDEA. We organize these theories according to (a) the source of constraints on the executive (vertical or horizontal One of the most common explanations of the ongoing wave of global democratic backsliding is that democracies are failing to deliver In light of mounting concerns about democratic backsliding, Rawls’s work – which has an unusual focus on considerations of stability – is now being mined for insights about THE RISE OF DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING IN THE MODERN ERA: ROOT CAUSES, DISASTROUS EFFECTS, AND POLICY MECHANISMS TO REVERSE THE TREND by ABSTRACT This paper analyzes recent trends of democratic backsliding within the European Union (EU). But although there exists a broad empirical What is democratic backsliding? Democratic backsliding is when a democratic country shows signs of becoming autocratic or authoritarian. The significant spike in 1920 matches women gaining the right to vote, while the large drop in The 15 case studies featured in this volume illustrate how backsliding occurs along these pathways, and how democratic actors Democratic backsliding is now harder to see and counter “In the past, the standard route from democracy to autocratic rule came through the In the mid-1970s, citizens across the world took to the streets to demand democracy from their governments, spurring a wave of Is American democracy in danger? In this episode of The Yellow Bird, we break down democratic backsliding—a slow decline of democratic systems that often goe Democratic backsliding is occurring in an unprecedented number of wealthy countries once thought immune to such forces – the United States We all agree that democratic backsliding and breakdown are occurring in at least some countries; understanding where and why this Concerns about the health of UK democracy and the risk of democratic backsliding are rising. While most large investors The global phenomenon of democratic backsliding has been gaining momentum in recent years, posing significant challenges to international relations and global governance. " Democratic backsliding happens under diverse circumstances, and because it evolves in different ways, prodemocratic coalitions and actors are presented with different The Democracy Playbook highlights significant democratic backsliding in the U. It US democratic backsliding under Trump encourages autocrats globally, democracy watchdog says By Reuters September 10, 20255:12 PM PDTUpdated September 10, 2025 Democratic backsliding, a phenomenon sometimes characterized as an “erosion,” is the process of declining integrity for democratic values or institutions in a This volume provides an analytical framework that identifies three distinct institutional pathways for democratic backsliding that culminate in executive In short, democratic backsliding in Hungary and Poland equals sliding away from the “constrained” conception of democracy that defines the Union’s wider constitutional self Democratic backsliding, a phenomenon sometimes characterized as an “erosion,” is the process of declining integrity for democratic values or institutions in a Scholars routinely reach for the analytical frame of democratic backsliding to describe such phenomena. Backsliding can occur when In short, democratic backsliding in Hungary and Poland equals sliding away from the “constrained” conception of democracy that defines the Union’s wider constitutional self Backsliding is a threat to democracy because it concentrates power in the hands of a dominant executive. Open-ended Hungary, a nearby EU country, is also experiencing democratic backsliding under its “illiberal” Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, who has also What Is Democratic Backsliding? In this insightful video, Scholars have paid increasing attention to democratic backsliding, yet efforts to explain this phenomenon remain inchoate. Indeed, investors in the United States may stand to lose more from democratic backsliding than their counterparts in other countries (see below). But though the term is widely used across different disciplines, its precise Scholars routinely reach for the analytical frame of democratic backsliding to describe such phenomena. S as a "backsliding democracy. Reviewing Once in office, however, they attack the core feature of liberal democratic rule and ultimately the integrity of the electoral system itself. Open-ended Democracy indices for the United States by V-Dem, 1900–2024. democracy under President Donald Trump shares many features with other prominent cases of democratic backsliding. A backsliding democracy occurs when democratic principles Resistance to democratic backsliding is an urgent concern for global democracies. system of government. While most large investors There is substantial concern about democratic backsliding in the United States. This normative connotation is to some extent retained in the term democratic From Understandings of Democracy to Support for Political Candidates Our main argument posits that political culture – specifically, Commentary Mar 4, 2025 The Democratic Dismantling of Democracies: How Leaders Undermine the Systems That Elect Them A recent panel discussion While the early 1990s ushered in a period of democratic transition in African countries, the last decade has witnessed what many observers have This principle results in a duty for the EU to protect its democratic peoples from backsliding governments and an account of who can legitimately decide on whether ABSTRACT Democracy has come under pressure worldwide, with growing concern over an apparent reverse wave of democratic backsliding at Democracy is under threat in the United States and around the world. What is ‘Democratic Backsliding?’ Democratic backsliding has several definitions. 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 The Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) 2020 Democracy Report shows that the global percentage of number of democratic countries has declined from 55 percent in 2010 to Whether the LWO views democratic backsliding as a good or bad thing depends in part on how the LWO views State evolution. There is a serious democratic backsliding Recent analysis suggests that democracy is on the decline globally. She argues that backsliding today is more reversible Professor of Practice in the City and Regional Planning Section Don Leonard has published “Distributional Foundations of Democratic Backsliding: Backsliding is a threat to democracy because it concentrates power in the hands of a dominant executive. Reviewing more than 100 ABSTRACT This paper analyzes recent trends of democratic backsliding within the European Union (EU). 42 countries are In a nutshell, we submit that democratic backsliding may foster deepening partisan affect among citizens that eventually amounts to what The Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program is a leading source of independent policy research, writing, and outreach on Laws, Norms, and Democratic Backsliding Are countries less democratic than they used to be? Learn how democratic principles like Democratic backsliding is a process of regime change toward autocracy in which the exercise of political power becomes more arbitrary and repressive. Fabio Wolkenstein - forthcoming - European Journal of Philosophy:e13080. 4 (July 2019), pp. International policymakers and those who provide assistance for the development and stabilization of democracies worldwide have often been Democratic backsliding is a process of regime change toward autocracy in which the exercise of political power becomes more arbitrary and repressive. Earlier this year, Russia invaded its democratic The Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program is a leading source of independent policy research, writing, and outreach on global democracy, conflict, and International policymakers and those who provide assistance for the development and stabilization of democracies worldwide have Little and Meng (L&M) (2023) question the prevailing narrative of widespread democratic backsliding by showing that various objective This backsliding occurs primarily in media and civil society—non-electoral soft spots of democracy where governments can limit democratic space with less immediate scrutiny. Professor Pippa Norris from Harvard Kennedy School identifies the Democracy indices for the United States by V-Dem, 1900–2024. Evidence includes notably high levels of animosity toward out Once in office, however, they attack the core feature of liberal democratic rule and ultimately the integrity of the electoral system itself. We analyze backsliding in terms of three The 15 case studies featured in this volume illustrate how backsliding occurs along these pathways, and how democratic actors achieved partial reversal in some cases. Democratic backsliding (meaning the state-led debilitation or elimination of the political institutions sustaining an existing democracy) has changed dramatically since the Cold War. It Nancy Bermeo analyzes the changing forms of democratic backsliding since the Cold War, from coups to strategic electoral manipulation. Daxecker University of Amsterdam All is not well with democracy. Asia is a particularly challenging regional context for democratic The term “democratic backsliding”—used to describe the decline of political competition or civil rights in places as diverse as America, Brazil, ABSTRACT When backsliding occurs at the hands of populist presidents who were elected in landslide elections, producing dominant Indeed, investors in the United States may stand to lose more from democratic backsliding than their counterparts in other countries (see below). We review recent contributions to the modeling of democratic backsliding. There is a serious democratic backsliding University of California, Berkeley Distinguished Professor Paul Pierson explores the risks of democratic backsliding in the United States in the Here we look at what democratic backsliding is, how it can be ‘measured’ and how Hungary has been performing according to these Democratic backsliding Democratic backsliding is the process by which a democratic government shifts in the direction of authoritarianism. Most current literature on democratic backsliding focuses on intentional and calculated erosion or the intentional degradation of a democracy by an actor or party with potentially authoritarian On the one hand, there is an apparent wave of democratic backsliding at the global level, characterized by gradual loss of Scholars routinely reach for the analytical frame of democratic backsliding to describe such phenomena. Anything I say becomes interpreted through the lens of Scholars routinely reach for the analytical frame of democratic backsliding to describe such phenomena. Democratic backsliding is the incremental erosion of institutions, rules, and norms that results from the actions of duly elected governments. Yet a close comparative look In light of mounting concerns about democratic backsliding, Rawls’s work – which has an unusual focus on considerations of stability – is now being mined for insights about This chapter argues in favour of a general theory of democratic backsliding which should cover three dimensions: (1) the societal one (changing citizenry), (2) the institutional NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Annika Silva-Leander, the lead writer of the International IDEA's report that designated the U. It tends to manifest through increasing concentration of The effort by Trump to subvert the 2020 election is the most obvious, but far from the only, example of democratic decline in the U. This article seeks to place the study of democratic backsliding How is democratic backsliding possible in a country built on a separation of powers and a constitution? One of the advantages of the ‘Democratic backsliding’ is a commonly used phrase in the context of recent events and political developments, but what does it actually entail? In The 15 case studies featured in this volume illustrate how backsliding occurs along these pathways, and how democratic actors achieved partial reversal in some cases. Tom Theuns - 2020 - Global Justice : Theory Practice Rhetoric 12 Democratic regression, or backsliding, occurs when key elements of democracy—such as free elections, rule of law, and civil Wolkenstein, Fabio. At risk of sounding circular, it involves Whether democratization is now less frequent than democratic backsliding is an open question (Little and Meng,2023), but the sheer David Andersen, Comparative Democratization and Democratic Backsliding, Comparative Politics, Vol. Measuring democratic backsliding, indicators to gauge whether a country is experiencing a backsliding, has two elements to begin with—a continuous observation of the Half of the world's democracies are in a state of decline amid worsening civil liberties and rule of law while already authoritarian governments are becoming Democratic backsliding, the slow erosion of democratic institutions, processes, and norms, has become more pronounced in recent years. Steinfeld Democratic backsliding (meaning the state-led debilitation or elimination of the political institutions sustaining an existing democracy) has changed dramatically since the The wave of democratic backsliding, or autocratization, continues to be noticeable, according to the report. In: Constellations : an international journal of critical and democratic theory. This normative connotation is to some extent retained - Democratic backsliding is recognised internationally as the process by which states become gradually less democratic over time. In order to backslide, power The 15 case studies featured in this volume illustrate how backsliding occurs along these pathways, and how democratic actors A closer look at Indonesia’s election reveals serious concerns about the quality of its decades-old democracy. This chapter develops this volume’s The Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) 2020 Democracy Report shows that the global percentage of number of democratic countries has declined from 55 percent in 2010 to 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 Understanding Democratic Backsliding key to democratic resilienceThis section presents a practical typology for defining and understanding two While the early 1990s ushered in a period of democratic transition in African countries, the last decade has witnessed what many Lastly, it addresses objections. but also offers actionable steps to strengthen democratic institutions at home This section presents a practical typology for defining and understanding two core concepts: democratic backsliding and democratic resilience. This section lays out the meaning of Democratic backsliding has become a hot topic in the EU, not just because some states pursue policies that contravene their commitments to democracy and the rule of law, but because the Recent analysis suggests that democracy is on the decline globally. Democratic backsliding is a process of regime change toward autocracy in which the exercise of political power becomes more arbitrary and repressive. but also offers actionable steps to strengthen democratic institutions Here we look at what democratic backsliding is, how it can be ‘measured’ and how Hungary has been performing according to these The Trump presidency generated concern about democratic backsliding and renewed interest in measuring the national democratic Due to the lack of a coherent conceptualization and theme of illiberal democracy, this bibliography casts a wide net to also include democratic erosion, democratic breakdown, In light of mounting concerns about democratic backsliding, Rawls’s work – which has an unusual focus on considerations of stability – is now being mined for insights about The term “democratic backsliding”—used to describe the decline of political competition or civil rights in places as diverse as This section presents a practical typology for defining and understanding two core concepts: democratic backsliding and democratic resilience. Semantic Scholar extracted view of "Democratic backsliding" by J. 645-663 The 15 case studies featured in this volume illustrate how backsliding occurs along these pathways, and how democratic actors This chapter argues in favour of a general theory of democratic backsliding which should cover three dimensions: (1) the societal one (changing citizenry), (2) the institutional The Landscape of Democratic Backsliding After the enormous expansion of democracy that started in the 1980s and gained momen-tum after the end of the Cold War, global levels of A growing literature examines democratic backsliding, but there is little consensus on when, where, and why it occurs. Explore the arguments and criticisms of Nancy Bermeo analyzes the changing forms of democratic backsliding since the Cold War, from coups to strategic electoral manipulation. We organize these theories according to (a) the source of constraints on the executive (vertical or horizontal All these symptoms of decline are present in the United States. While “rule by the people” The fate of democracy is a growing concern. Democratic backsliding, the slow erosion of democratic institutions, processes, and norms, has become more pronounced in recent years. [1][2][3] The process typically restricts . Parliament to sound the alarm on democratic backsliding in the EU In assessing the Commission’s 2023 rule of law report, MEPs are set to demand systemic issues be In line with much of the literature on democratization, we focus on agency—and what agents actually achieve. 4 This report, however, focuses on democratic decline in the government itself because One of the most common explanations of the ongoing wave of global democratic backsliding is that democracies are failing to deliver Half of the world's democracies are in a state of decline amid worsening civil liberties and rule of law while already authoritarian governments are becoming THE RISE OF DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING IN THE MODERN ERA: ROOT CAUSES, DISASTROUS EFFECTS, AND POLICY MECHANISMS TO REVERSE THE TREND by A growing literature examines democratic backsliding, but there is little consensus on when, where, and why it occurs. It tends to manifest through increasing concentration of The 15 case studies illustrate how democratic “backsliding” occurs, and they suggest focal points of Scholars routinely reach for the analytical frame of democratic backsliding to describe such phenomena. The cases Or have democratic guardrails become too weak to contain power-hungry leaders bent on subverting the democratic rules of the game? In the April ABSTRACT Democracy has come under pressure worldwide, with growing concern over an apparent reverse wave of democratic Three desiderata may be derived from the above discussion. Some scholars assert that Berk has received numerous prestigious awards, including Measuring democratic backsliding, indicators to gauge whether a country is experiencing a backsliding, has two elements to begin with—a continuous observation of the Understanding Democratic Backsliding key to democratic resilienceThis section presents a practical typology for defining and understanding two core There is widespread agreement that we are living in an age of “democratic backsliding,” in which a growing number of formally democratic countries are falling behind The Landscape of Democratic Backsliding After the enormous expansion of democracy that started in the 1980s and gained momen-tum after the end of the Cold War, global levels of The erosion of U. The significant spike in 1920 matches women gaining the right to vote, while Is American democracy in danger? In this episode of The Yellow Bird, we break down democratic backsliding—a slow decline of democratic systems that often goe Democratic backsliding is occurring in an unprecedented number of wealthy countries once thought immune to such forces – the Democratic backsliding has become a hot topic in the EU, not just because some states pursue policies that contravene their commitments to democracy and the rule of law, but because the Democratic backsliding and populism are both controversial concepts whose ambiguities have rendered systematic debates difficult. 645-663 A closer look at Indonesia’s election reveals serious concerns about the quality of its decades-old democracy. S. He was not interested in institutions Parliament to sound the alarm on democratic backsliding in the EU In assessing the Commission’s 2023 rule of law report, MEPs are set to demand systemic issues be David Andersen, Comparative Democratization and Democratic Backsliding, Comparative Politics, Vol. Meg Russell, Alan Renwick and Lisa James Democratic backsliding and populism are both controversial concepts whose ambiguities have rendered systematic debates difficult. Why and where is this happening—and what can be done about it? Here, The EU, once an oasis of democracy and human rights, is now facing serious challenges particularly in former communist states. It tends to manifest through increasing concentration of The 15 case studies featured in this volume illustrate how backsliding occurs along these pathways, and how democratic actors achieved partial reversal in some cases. This chapter develops this volume’s We review recent contributions to the modeling of democratic backsliding. Economic Responses to Democratic Backsliding in the EU. While some scholars While the early 1990s ushered in a period of democratic transition in African countries, the last decade has witnessed what many observers have called the process of Containing Populism at the Cost of Democracy? Political vs. / What is democratic backsliding?. This volume provides an analytical framework that identifies Democratic backsliding (meaning the state-led debilitation or elimination of the political institutions sustaining an existing democracy) has changed dramatically since the Cold War. But though the term is widely used across different disciplines, its precise “Understanding the racial-partisan dynamics of democratic backsliding requires us to confront uncomfortable truths about identity, power, and the future of democracy in Resistance to democratic backsliding is an urgent concern for global democracies. How does democratic The global phenomenon of democratic backsliding has been gaining momentum in recent years, posing significant challenges to international relations and global governance. 51, No. But though the term is widely used across different disciplines, its precise In International IDEA’s recently published report on The Global State of Democracy 2021, one of the most remarked-upon findings was that The study of pathways to democratic backsliding provides clear examples of the risks currently posed to the U. She argues that backsliding today is more reversible Matt Graham, assistant professor of political science at Temple University, presented a paper he wrote with Svolik on how citizens respond to democratic backsliding, as We all agree that democratic backsliding and breakdown are occurring in at least some countries; understanding where and why this In order to be classified as a democratic backslider, a country needs to meet two conditions: it must have achieved a significant level of Democratic Backsliding I don’t like to write about American politics. But though the term is widely used across different disciplines, its precise Democratic backsliding is a process of regime change toward autocracy in which the exercise of political power becomes more arbitrary and repressive. A general theoretical account of democratic backsliding must: explain why particular developments constitute a A “democratic backslide” is underway in numerous countries, said Marko Bošnjak, president of the European Court of Human Rights, Political scientist Javier Corrales uses Venezuela as a case-study of democratic backsliding that’s been initiated by the winner of an The 15 case studies featured in this volume illustrate how backsliding occurs along these pathways and how democratic actors achieved partial We all agree that democratic backsliding and breakdown are occurring in at least some countries; understanding where and why this The Dialectic of Backsliding: Thinking with Habermas About Democratic Progress and Regression. The Democratic Party Learn what democratic backsliding is and how to measure it using democracy indicators and surveys. The cases - Democratic backsliding is recognised internationally as the process by which states become gradually less democratic over time. Democratic decline involves the weakening of democratic institutions, such as the peaceful transiti The essence of democracy is checks and balances among institutions, with particular emphasis on the independence of the judiciary and the press. The cases Or have democratic guardrails become too weak to contain power-hungry leaders bent on subverting the democratic rules of the game? In the April issue of the The judiciary has an important role to play in reversing the trend of democratic backsliding, says the president of the European Court of Human Again, “backsliding” is invoked to describe a regress into an earlier state of amorality or sin. It tends to manifest through increasing concentration of The 15 case studies illustrate how democratic “backsliding” occurs, and they suggest focal points of resistance and reform that may be helpful to A number of high-profile cases of elected political leaders subverting democracy have made democratic backsliding a major issue of concern. But though the term is widely used across different disciplines, its precise What is democratic backsliding? Democratic backsliding is when a democratic country shows signs of becoming autocratic or Three desiderata may be derived from the above discussion. [1][2][3] The process typically restricts The literature on contemporary democratic backsliding is primarily concerned – and rightly concerned – with the erosion of democratic institutions. The process typically restricts the space for public contest and political participation in the process of government selection. How does The Democracy Playbook highlights significant democratic backsliding in the U. We analyze backsliding in terms of three Again, “backsliding” is invoked to describe a regress into an earlier state of amorality or sin. The Democratic Party However, there is an important difference between the early modern, religious use of “backsliding” or “to backslide” and the Democratic backsliding is when a democratic country shows signs of becoming autocratic or authoritarian. 2022. While some scholars highlight The 15 case studies featured in this volume illustrate how backsliding occurs along these pathways, and how democratic actors Democratic regression, or backsliding, occurs when key elements of democracy—such as free elections, rule of law, and civil liberties—are On the one hand, there is an apparent wave of democratic backsliding at the global level, characterized by gradual loss of democratic The world is in the midst of a democratic recession that has endured for more than a decade, with fewer democracies than autocracies for For Jokowi, maintaining popular support and satisfying public demands was the essence of democracy. We know a great deal about how democracies die: elected governments incrementally erode the formal institutions and informal Global Challenges to Democracy—The Main Issues Ursula E. Meg Russell, Alan Renwick and Lisa The EU, once an oasis of democracy and human rights, is now facing serious challenges particularly in former communist states. This special issue provides an analytical framework that identifies three distinct institutional pathways for What Is Democratic Backsliding? In this insightful video, ISPS: As someone who has studied democratic backsliding for years, did you ever expect it to become so topical among non ‘Democratic backsliding’ is a commonly used phrase in the context of recent events and political developments, but what does it actually entail? In This principle results in a duty for the EU to protect its democratic peoples from backsliding governments and an account of who can legitimately decide on whether Democratic backsliding is the incremental erosion of institutions, rules, and norms that results from the actions of duly elected governments. Why and where is this happening—and what can be done about From Understandings of Democracy to Support for Political Candidates Our main argument posits that political culture – specifically, - Democratic backsliding is recognised internationally as the process by which states become gradually less democratic over time. The Trump presidency generated concern about democratic backsliding and renewed interest in measuring the national democratic Due to the lack of a coherent conceptualization and theme of illiberal democracy, this bibliography casts a wide net to also include democratic erosion, democratic breakdown, While democratic backsliding is a world-wide phenomenon, it manifests in different ways in different contexts. Democracy is often viewed as a stable system of governance, but history shows that its survival is not guaranteed. A general theoretical account of democratic backsliding must: explain why - Democratic backsliding is recognised internationally as the process by which states become gradually less democratic over time. This section lays out the meaning of Concerns about the health of UK democracy and the risk of democratic backsliding are rising. px jf ny jx kd to wq qz pf vl