New case studies show how democracies erode from within

Democracies rarely collapse overnight. Rather, they are hollowed out gradually, often through legal and seemingly legitimate means, according to a report published by the Lowy Institute.

Understanding Democratic Erosion: Report and Country Case Studies, by Lydia Khalil, Peter Woodrow, James Paterson and Robert Kaufman, applies systems thinking to explain why democratic backsliding is rarely the result of a single cause or actor.

It identifies five reinforcing loops that accelerate decline: the consolidation of power by anti-democratic actors, the weakening of balancing institutions, entrenched division, loss of faith in democracy, and the use of political violence.

The new case studies, which reveal democratic erosion in action, examine the constitutional power grab in Hungary, Mexico’s cartel-weakened institutions, political polarisation in the United States, South Africa’s democratic disillusionment, and India’s communal violence.

The report is available to download on the Lowy Institute's Understanding Democratic Erosion website (Opens in new window).

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