QoG lunch seminar with Lise Rakner

Abstract: 

Periods of autocratization typically leave a heritage of autocratic legalism: changes in laws, norms and practices that weaken or distort the liberal and democratic functioning of political institutions. Dealing with this legacy creates dilemmas for incoming democratic regimes: How can institutions, laws and and norms be transformed and democratized without resorting to illiberal means that in themselves ‘seal in’ autocratic practices? Autocratizing incumbents defeated at the ballot box typically leave a legacy of eroded norms and captured institutions that stand as long-term obstacles to renewed democratic governance. Moreover, the autocratic leaders themselves often remain in the arena of political competition and may continue their efforts to change the rules of the game away from liberal democratic governance. Their partisan allies often retain control of key policy-making veto points, and they sometimes remain influential in civil society and the media sphere as well. As such, re-democratization requires not just an electoral U-turn, but the longer and deeper work of reestablishing and reforming democratic norms and institutions. These efforts often play out in a high-stakes political environment, as the defeated autocrats or their partisan allies seek to exploit unresolved societal divisions to return to power. This paper examines the persistent socio-legal legacies of autocratization that may weaken democratic resilience, obstruct pro-democratic opposition strategies, and (threaten to) reverse U-turn episodes of democratic recovery. The legacies of autocratization is examined across four key domains: the state bureaucracy, the legal sector, electoral processes and institutions, and the public sphere.