Polarization & Autocratization
Identity, Partisanship, Polarization – How democratically elected politicians get away with autocratizing their country
Theory-building in the fields of democratisation research and the promotion of democracy assigns citizens a key role in preventing democratic backsliding: By reacting to authoritarian tendencies of elected politicians and voting them out of office, citizens perform a controlling function that is essential for the survival of democracy.
In highly polarized environments, however, citizens are less inclined to take on the role of a watchdog and more willing to accept violations of democratic rules to help their side win. Deepening polarization then offers a gateway for democratic backsliding.
In cooperation with Professor Milan Svolik from Yale University, we tested this hypothesis in a cross-national survey in seven European democracies (Estonia, Germany, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine) to find answers to the following questions:
- How polarized are the societies of Estonia, Germany, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine?
- How resilient and stable are these democracies? The more citizens accept violations of democratic norms, the less resilient and stable a democracy is.
- For which interests (identity policies or socio-economic interests) are voters willing to tolerate violations of democratic norms?
- Which democratic violations (of which democratic tenet) are voters most willing to tolerate?