Research framework and broader academic knowledge base
Serbia: documented application of the same framework
How can democracy disappear even though the constitution and elections formally remain in place?
Democracy can disappear without a day in which it was officially abolished. The government can keep the constitution, elections, courts and assembly, and then change them so that they are increasingly limiting those who rule.
This is done through unequal electoral conditions, political influence on the courts and the prosecution, pressure on the media, abuse of state resources and laws that are applied more strictly to opponents than to allies. Citizens still vote, but the opposition can increasingly be organized, reach out to voters, protect votes and really take power. Therefore, the formal existence of democratic institutions is not enough; it is crucial whether they create a real possibility of control, accountability and peace.
International grades show the general direction well, but they differ and are sometimes late for events. Therefore, more sources and concrete facts should be used.
Works supporting this answer, with their evidence type and an explanation of how they relate to the claim.
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Bermeo, N. (2016), „On Democratic Backsliding“, Journal of Democracy 27(1): 5–19.
- Contribution to this answer
- Bermeo shows that democracy today often disappears gradually: the executive power expands its powers and changes election rules through formal legal steps, while institutions and elections still exist.
data from a large number of countries
Lührmann, A. i Lindberg, S. I. (2019), „A Third Wave of Autocratization Is Here: What Is New About It?“, Democratization 26(7): 1095–1113.
Lührmann, A. i Lindberg, S. I. (2019), "A Third Wave of Autocratization Is Here: What Is New About It?", Democratization 26(7): 1095–1113.
- Contribution to this answer
- Lhrmann and Lindbergh show that the modern wave of autocracy is mostly undergoing gradual losses of democratic qualities under elected authorities, while retaining the electoral facade.
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Waldner, D. i Lust, E. (2018), „Unwelcome Change: Coming to Terms with Democratic Backsliding“, Annual Review of Political Science 21: 93–113.
- Contribution to this answer
- Waldner and Lust treat democratic backwardness as a change within the existing regime, not as a single moment of transition. That is why democracy can be seriously thinned before it is obvious that the type of regime has been changed.
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Haggard, S. i Kaufman, R. R. (2021), Backsliding: Democratic Regress in the Contemporary World, Cambridge University Press.
- Contribution to this answer
- Haggard and Kaufman show how the limitations of executive power, the rights and integrity of political competition can be gradually eroded through a series of moves by elected power, without formally abolishing the constitution or elections.
comparison of different combinations of conditions
Maerz, S. F. (2020), „The Many Faces of Authoritarian Persistence“, Government and Opposition 55(1): 64–87.
- Contribution to this answer
- “Maerz is a more circumstantial source here: it shows that existing autocracy can survive through different combinations of repression, co-optation and legitimation, but it does not directly study the transition from democracy to autocracy.
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