Towards a unified approach to research on democratic backsliding
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6252940 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Haemin Jee (0000-0002-1402-9555, Stanford University), Hans Lueders (0000-0001-6124-8112, Stanford University, corresponding author), Roger Myrick (0000-0002-9833-6041, Duke University), Rachel Myrick (Duke University) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 754-767 |
| Publication date | 2022-05-19 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Democratization (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1351-0347 • E-ISSN: 1743-890X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13510347.2021.2010709 |
| OpenAlex | W4200257118 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 41 |
| References cited | 44 |
A growing literature examines democratic backsliding, but there is little consensus on when, where, and why it occurs. Reviewing more than 100 recent articles and working papers, this research note argues that inattention to the measurement of backsliding and the underlying concept of democracy drives this disagreement. We propose three remedies. First, we outline several questions that help researchers navigate common measurement challenges. Second, we argue that conceptual confusion around backsliding is driven in large part by inconsistent definitions of democracy. We show how outlining a comprehensive concept of democracy enables researchers to better account for the diversity of instances of democratic backsliding. Our third contribution is drawing attention to a previously overlooked form of backsliding: when governments lose the effective power to govern or voters and elites increasingly disagree about truths and facts. The research note urges scholars to pay closer attention to the conceptualization and measurement of backsliding prior to empirical analysis
Conceptualization · Confusion · Democracy · Diversity (politics · Economics · Epistemology · Law and economics · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Power (physics · Sociology · Computer Science · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Philosophy · Political Conflict and Governance · Psychology · Social Policy and Reform Studies
Authoritarian cultures in the shadow of democracy
Rethinking democratic subversion
Climate Shocks, Political Conflict, and the Resilience of Democracies
Countering the Wave of Democratic Backsliding and the Crisis of Democracy in West Africa
Media Systems and Violent Conflicts
The agency of (public) agencies
The multiple fronts of democratic backsliding
Manipulating political tempo in democratic backsliding
Global de-democratization and women's political empowerment in the 2000s
Democracy Manifest or Democracy Latent? A Unified Framework for Identifying Regime Types and Transitions
Populism and legislative backsliding
The Diversity of Actors in Reform Backsliding and Its Containment in the Ukrainian Hybrid Regime
Examining the effects of democratic backsliding on human rights conditions
The duty to confront global authoritarianism
Merit and impartiality in public administration
The wilting jasmine
Democratic backsliding in Honduras and Maccih’s effects (2016–2021)
From people’s champion to power consolidator
Toxic friend? The impact of the Russian invasion on democratic backsliding and PRR cooperation in Europe
Safeguarding the Peaceful Transfer of Power
Canadian Democracy at Risk? A Wakeup Call From the Perspective of English‐Speaking Citizens
Is the US Moving Toward Autocracy? A Critical Assessment
Rationalizing backsliding
Caught in the crossfire
How to study democratic backsliding
Benevolent authority beliefs, democratic values, and public support
Multilevel Regime Decoupling
The would-be autocrats’ toolkit
Mainstreaming democratic backsliding
Who’s to blame for democratic backsliding
Coming out of the liberal closet. Think tanks and de-democratization in Poland
Do mutually reinforcing cleavages harm democracy? Inequalities between ethnic groups and autocratization
Patterns of democratic backsliding in third-wave democracies
Politicizing terror
Judicial backsliding
How Erroneous Beliefs Trigger Authoritarian Collapse
Democracy-Reinforcing Hardball
The ethics of responding to democratic backsliding abroad
Does Affective Polarization Contribute to Democratic Backsliding in America
A resposta da burocracia ao contexto de retrocesso democrático
Economic costs of democratic backsliding
Polyarchy
Why Deliberative Democracy?
Ordinary People in Extraordinary Times
Democracy and the Limits of Self-Government
Foundations of Democracy
Backsliding
Democratization and Civilian Control in Asia
Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy
How to Lose a Constitutional Democracy
Democratic backsliding in sub-Saharan Africa and the role of China’s development assistance
Waves of autocratization and democratization
Anchoring Democracy from Above? The E uropean U nion and Democratic Backsliding in H ungary and R omania after Accession
Paths Out of Dixie
Legibility and the Informational Foundations of State Capacity
Multiple Measurements, Elusive Agreement, and Unstable Outcomes in the Study of Regime Change
Democratic Decline in the United States
The End of the Transition Paradigm
On Democratic Backsliding
The Myth of Democratic Recession
Polarization versus Democracy
The Signs of Deconsolidation
The Criminal Subversion of Mexican Democracy
Credible Commitments? Explaining IGO Suspensions to Sanction Political Backsliding
Democratization and International Organizations
Varieties of contemporary democratic breakdown and regression
Erosion or decay? Conceptualizing causes and mechanisms of democratic regression
What is democracy? A reconceptualization of the quality of democracy
Embedded and defective democracies
Democracy and human development
Democracy and the multinationals
The limited reach of authoritarian powers
Democratic regression in comparative perspective
United we stand, divided we rule
State of the world 2020
A Duration Analysis of Democratic Transitions and Authoritarian Backslides
The Unintended Consequences of Democracy Promotion
Conceptualizing and Measuring Democracy
Unwelcome Change
Social Science Concepts
Bolsonaro and Brazil's Illiberal Backlash
Global Populisms and Their Impact
Democracy in America? Partisanship, Polarization, and the Robustness of Support for Democracy in the United States
Between Facts and Norms
| Unique citing works | 41 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 10,25 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 40 |