Democracy Fatigue : : An East European Epidemy / / ed. by Carlos García-Rivero.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Central European University Press eBook-Package 2023
• HerausgeberIn: García-Rivero, Carlos,
• Place / Publishing House: Budapest ;, New York : : Central European University Press, , [2023]; ©2023
• Year of Publication: 2023
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (286 p.)

Over the early 21st century, democracy worldwide has deteriorated significantly. At the same time, new populist forces have appeared that challenge democracies through legal reforms. The stark contrast between Eastern and Western Europe in this respect is the focus of this collection of essays. The authors consider the 2008-2012 economic crisis to be at the root of the success of the populist parties and the rise of cultural backlash against liberal values. In turn, European governments’ responses to the crisis—mainly austerity measures demanded by IMF and the EU— help explain desenchantment with the European Union. These policies made the wider public feel that they were being left out of politics, and populist parties promised to return power to them. The contributors argue that polarization of the electorate can set in motion a radicalization that strengthens authoritarians at the expense of democrats. They also demonstrate that Eastern and Western Europe differ in their attitudes to the decline in quality of democracy. The studies consider how satisfied people are with the political changes they witness, and argue that seemingly more authoritarian attitudes in the East explain why people feel more satisfied with a defective democracy that empowers the populist-authoritarian political actors that they support.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Introduction: European Democracy at the Crossroads -- Part 1 Populism in Europe: Concept and Context -- Chapter 1 Quality of Democracy in Europe -- Chapter 2 Populism: Theoretical Foundations -- Chapter 3 Mapping European Populism and Its Association with Anti-Pluralism: Descriptive Evidence in Time and Space -- Chapter 4 On the Persistence of Radical Right Populism in Europe: The Role of Grievances and Emotions -- Part II Political Participation under Populism: Trends and Limits -- Chapter 5 The Limits of Democratic Competition: Time-Series, Cross-Sectional Evidence of the Asymmetrical Impact of Polarization on Europeans’ Political Attitudes and Behavior -- Chapter 6 Populist Voter Profiles in Different Electoral Calls: Lessons from Spain -- Chapter 7 Ideological Congruence between Populist Right Parliamentary Elites and Their Voters: An Analysis of Poland, Sweden, and Germany -- Chapter 8 Internal Sanctions for Rule of Law Breaches under Article 7 TEU: Why Is the EU Dragging Its Feet? -- Part III Populist Parties in Different European Regions -- Chapter 9 Populism in Western versus Eastern Europe -- Chapter 10 Populism in Southern Europe -- Chapter 11 Nordic Populism: Conjoining Ethno-Nationalism and Welfare Chauvinism -- Conclusion: What Lies Ahead -- About the Contributors -- Index