Presidents, Autocratization, and Regime Change

Abstract

The president is an important political actor in presidential and semi-presidential systems. Previous research has indicated that the greater the presidential power, the greater the likelihood that it will adversely affect the functioning of democracy. There are several issues that warrant further discussion. First, studies should focus on constitutional heterogeneity, such as presidential power and term limits, coupled with specific political circumstances, jointly determine the functioning of democracy. Second, other political actors are less incorporated within the research framework. Nevertheless, the interaction between the president and the ruling elite, such as the prime minister and cabinet ministers, as well as the interaction with the opposition parties in the parliament, may have an impact on power dynamics and policy outputs. Third, the causal mechanisms are not clear-cut. The president’s cooperation and competition with actors inside and outside the political system may affect the survival of democracy and potentially lead to multiple path of democratic collapse. Fourth, the majority of research has been conducted outside of a crisis framework. A crisis may contribute to the president’s heightened willingness to intervene in the executive affairs of the government. A crisis may also result in centralization of powers around the president and thus executive aggrandisement. All of these will influence democratic development. This panel combines research concerns regarding presidential politics with comparative authoritarianism or democratic consolidation to provide novel perspectives on the president’s role in democratic development and regime change in times of global crisis or not.

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