Authoritarian Politics and Constraints: Ideology, Populism, and Civil Society

• In Event: Authoritarian Durability & Adaptability

Abstract

Given the recent interest in extremism, populist rhetoric, and democratic backsliding, it is timely to consider the evidence on authoritarian reversion as well. What causes some regimes to slide further into autocracy while other regimes, similar in their formal institutions and economies, move toward democratization? What can explain the erosion of broad traditional constraints, including the rule of law and property rights, in autocracies? I contend that the answer lies in the erosion of informal civil society constraints by radical leadership ideology and populist style rhetoric. Authoritarian leaders adopt ideological programs and the rhetoric of democracy as means to legitimate their regimes, choosing a range of traditional or radical ideologies, and populist or pluralist democratic discourse. Ideological programs of aggressive social change weaken existing social structures by design. In addition, the reliance of the regime on extremist support groups for legitimation increases the relative power of those groups. The combination of extremist ideological agendas with a choice of populist rhetoric further erodes civil constraints. Without strong informal constraints from society, formal constraints on leaders are paper tigers. This project will demonstrate that radical leadership ideology results in the erosion of rule of law and property rights, that populist rhetorical style plays a secondary role conditional on extremist ideology, and that both are mediated by the role of civil society.

Author

• Tom Hanna, University of Houston