Democratic Backsliding

DPI 413 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

The early 21st Century has seen warning signals that peoples in every part of the world face clear and present danger from liberal democratic backsliding and authoritarian resurgence. No challenge facing America is greater. Meanwhile authoritarian states have commonly become more repressive at home and emboldened abroad, challenging Western alliances and the rules-based liberal world order.

Part I in this course opens by discussing the concept, classification, and measurement of democratic and authoritarian regimes, and reviews evidence of contemporary trends. Part II debates multiple explanations for these developments. This includes accounts focusing upon (i) the rise of specific strongman leaders and elite enablers; (ii) constitutional failures to check executive aggrandizement, (iii) the growing popularity of authoritarian-populist parties and the spread of misinformation; (iv) structural drivers of authoritarianism in mass society including economic inequality, growing ethnic and racial diversity, and cultural shifts in social values; and (v) international rivalries pitting Western alliances against the authoritarian states. Part III considers the practical policy options flowing from each alternative theory.

The course adopts a global comparative perspective using cross-national time-series data and selected case studies, including the United States. Pedagogy includes a ‘flipped classroom’ where you are asked to view the weekly lecture video before class. The weekly class in-person meeting will discuss these materials. Small work groups meet weekly outside of class to discuss supplement classes. Assignments include a regional workgroup mid-term report and a final individual research paper. The class encourages the capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, to use research tools effectively, and to communicate using professional data visualizations graphics. Some statistical skills are an advantage but not essential.