Flashcards on Understanding Democratic Backsliding
Understanding Democratic Backsliding: Types, Examples, & Challenges
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Democracy: Concessions and Weakening
34 cards
Card 1
Question: What does the term 'democratic backsliding' mean in the text?
Answer: Meaning: The deliberate deviation from democratic ideals, leading to the gradual or rapid weakening of democratic institutions, which can result in ei
Card 2
Question: According to the text, what are the possible outcomes of democratic backsliding?
Answer: Rapid, extensive changes lead to an openly authoritarian regime (democratic collapse). Gradual, limited changes lead to the weakening of institutions
Card 3
Question: How does the text distinguish between rapid and slow forms of democratic backsliding?
Answer: Rapid forms involve radical, broad changes across institutions leading to authoritarianism. Slow forms involve gradual changes within a limited set of
Card 4
Question: According to the text, how have the forms of democratic backsliding changed since the Cold War?
Answer: Some radical forms of backsliding (classic military coups, dramatic executive coups, blatant election-day fraud) are receding; less conspicuous and mo
Card 5
Question: What does the author refer to as 'promissory coups,' and how do they differ from classic coups?
Answer: 'Promissory coups' are forms that replace overt, immediate coups. The text suggests they are less conspicuous and legitimized by institutions, yet sti
Card 6
Question: According to the text, what is 'executive aggrandizement,' and how does it relate to earlier 'dramatic executive coups'?
Answer: 'Executive aggrandizement' is a process where the powers of the executive branch are gradually increased and consolidated, rather than a dramatic, one
Card 7
Question: How has the nature of electoral manipulation changed, according to the text?
Answer: Blatant election-day fraud is less common; instead, long-term strategies of harassment, manipulation, and systematic weakening of the opposition and e
Card 8
Question: Why are today's forms of backsliding largely legitimized by the very institutions that proponents of democracy previously favored?
Answer: Because current forms of backsliding often utilize formal institutions and legal procedures to weaken democracy, which lends them legitimacy through i
Card 9
Question: What general conclusion does the author of the text draw about trends in democratic backsliding?
Answer: The author argues that the trends reflect a slow erosion and weakening of democracy rather than its definitive demise; some brutal forms have receded,
Card 10
Question: How does the text historically trace the origin of the word 'backsliding'?
Answer: The word 'backsliding' first appeared in English in 1554 with John Knox and is also found in the King James Bible (1611), where it denotes a deviation