Democratic Regressions: Patterns and Causes

Most surges in democratization have been followed by democratic regressions, potentially culminating in the outright establishment of autocracies. This was true after World War One, after World War Two, and, according to recent accounts, we have entered another such period since the mid-2000s (Puddington 2012). But when are democratic regressions and where have we witnessed them? Are these regressions characterized by systematic patterns in the sequencing of rights violations? And why are some countries more prone to democratic regression than others? This workshop serves as a forum for addressing these questions. More particularly, we invite papers representing 1) theoretical frameworks that attempt to combine explanatory factors of democratic regression; 2) comparative studies that focus on different periods where democracy has been on the defensive; 3) a multifaceted and disaggregate view of democracy – and thus of democratic regression. The workshop writes into a number of ongoing scholarly debates in democratization studies: the historical turn (Capoccia/Ziblatt 2010), the conceptualization and measurement of democracy (Coppedge/Gerring 2011), and the combination of explanatory conditions (Levitsky/Way 2010; Boix 2011). Regarding participants, a number of people have already expressed their interests in attending but the call is open and we urge interested scholars to apply.