Self-Government Interrupted: Legacies of External Rule in Brazil and Poland

• In Event: The Political Economy of Democratic Backsliding and Malapportionment

Abstract

Which consequences do sustained interruptions in local self-government have for subsequent periods of democratic engagement? In this study, building up on recent work in political economy, we develop a theoretical framework of how interruptions in self-government influence citizens' ability to recognize transgressions of democratic norms and engage in electoral behavior or other forms of collective action against the perpetrators. Our theory suggests that, even long after self-government has been formally restored, previous sustained interruptions in self-government can damage citizens' ability to recognize and respond to transgressions of democratic rules by governments. In the empirical test, we examine the consequences interruptions of local self-government by the central government in Brazil as well as interruptions in self-government across Poland by external powers.

Authors

• Daniel W. Gingerich, University of Virginia

• Jan P. Vogler, University of Konstanz