Why and how do authoritarian leaders gain popular support? In his book, Threat to Democracy: The Appeal of Authoritarianism in an Age of Uncertainty, social psychologist Fathali M. Moghaddam argues that… Read more »
Resilient democratic institutions, such as an independent judiciary and a functioning system of checks and balances within political systems, are critical for the successful control of public-sector corruption, writes Patricia… Read more »
Widespread dissatisfaction with democracy has created political space of illiberal populist forces, which – like Hungary’s Viktor Orban – use democratic institutions for authoritarian ends. But popular discontent is also… Read more »
The recent European parliamentary elections offered some optimistic liberals a chance to gloat, Ishaan Tharoor writes for The Washington Post: “The so-called populist wave, I think it was contained,” declared… Read more »
It was one of the greatest waves of democratization ever. In 1977 all but three of the 20 countries in Latin America were dictatorships of one kind or another. By… Read more »
How do you push back on illiberal and authoritarian trends? What is the role of philanthropy in building social capital and citizen agency? And what are the… Read more »
It is easy to be complacent about democracy, to imagine that it has become permanent and irreversible. But in politics nothing is guaranteed to last for ever, and what seems… Read more »
Although it is true that more of the world is democratic than ever before, there are signs that progress may soon come to a halt, notes Erica Frantz, an assistant… Read more »
The three pillars of freedom, protection and progress form the basis of democratic renewal, according to French President Emmanuel Macron. He proposes the establishment of a European Agency for the Protection of… Read more »
Democracy is “not a one-way street,” and democratic nations can fall back into authoritarianism, according to Mike Abramowitz, president of Freedom House, and Sanford School Dean Judith Kelley. They joined moderator… Read more »