Publications of the FoundationResisting democratic backsliding
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  • Democratic backsliding increasingly occurs through incremental, legalistic attacks on democratic institutions. Drawing on the Democratic Attacks and Resistance Events (DARE) dataset, this article examines patterns of democratic attacks and resistance across 28 cases of backsliding since 2000. It shows that while attacks on social spaces such as media and civil society are more frequent, attacks on institutional spaces are more systematic and consequential. Judicial resistance emerges as the strongest predictor of successful resistance, while legislative pluralism and societal mobilisation strengthen institutional capacity to block democratic erosion. By contrast, ruling-party supermajorities significantly weaken resistance. The findings highlight the importance of early, coordinated resistance and show that democratic resilience depends on the capacity of institutions and civil society to counter democratic erosion.
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