Political Leaders and Leadership in Illiberal Democracies, Semi-Democratic and Authoritarian Regimes

Abstract

Regimes that diverge from the standards of liberal/Western democracy still largely present a black box for students of political leadership and comparative government. One the one hand, research has recently rejected the traditional assumption of the executive (cabinet or president) as an omnipotent force in authoritarian regimes and highlighted the complex nature and power dynamics in non-democratic regimes. On the other hand, the backsliding of previously (almost) fully democratic countries – exemplified most clearly by the cases of Hungary and Poland – has created new ‘illiberal democracies’ that require new analytical tools and approaches for analysis. The papers assembled in this panel try to shed light on the politics of political leaders and elites in illiberal democracies, semi-democratic and authoritarian regimes. The presentations focus in particular on questions of elite interests and discourse.