Analyzing Institutions: Limits and Responses to Challenges of Modern Democracies?

This Section aims to enhance debates about how political institutions exacerbate challenges to democracy and provide solutions to pressing democratic concerns. It brings together Panels and Papers discussing how electoral systems, legislatures, executives, the judiciary and other institutions affect and constrain the behavior of political actors in moments that challenge (concepts of) representative democracy. Questions addressed can be (among others) the role of institutions in fostering or hindering the political representation of women and minorities, influencing the growth of anti-system sentiment and/or populist actors or contributing to successful government formations. The Section is also interested in research centering on how political institutions respond to fundamental democratic challenges such as political polarization, public discontent or democratic set-backs. All methods whether qualitative or quantitative are welcome. Proposals from all relevant subfields analyzing political institutions using comparative analyses and case studies are welcome.