Global Challenges to Democracy

Following democracy's global advance in the late 20th century, recent patterns of democratic erosion or 'backsliding' have generated extensive scholarly debate. Backsliding towards autocracy is often the work of elected leaders operating within democratic institutions, challenging conventional thinking about the logic of democratic consolidation, the enforcement of institutional checks and balances, and the development and reproduction of democratic norms. This volume tackles these challenges head-on, drawing theoretical insights from classic literature on democratic transitions and consolidation to help explain contemporary challenges to democracy. It offers a comparative perspective on the dynamics of democratic backsliding, the changing character of authoritarian threats, and the sources of democratic resiliency around the world. It also integrates the institutional, civil society, and international dimensions of contemporary challenges to democracy, while providing coverage of Western and Eastern Europe, South and Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the United States.

• Provides a comprehensive, cross-regional comparative perspective on global patterns of democratic backsliding and resiliency
• Draws insights from the classic literature on democratic transitions and consolidation to help explain contemporary patterns of backsliding led by elected officials working within democratic institutions
• Provides thematic sections focused on institutional, civil society, and international dimensions of backsliding for readers to better understand the interaction between them