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Authoritarian Demand in East‐Central Europe Post‐Pandemic and Amid Neighbouring War

Author

Listed:
  • Mihai Alexandrescu

    (Faculty of History and Philosophy, Babeș‐Bolyai University, Romania)

  • Mihnea S. Stoica

    (Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeș‐Bolyai University, Romania)

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed a noticeable democratic decline worldwide, revealing a tendency of voters to elect leaders with authoritarian tendencies. In East-Central European countries, authoritarian attitudes reached unprecedented heights since their accession to the EU. Existing academic literature highlights key drivers of support for authoritarianism in this region of the continent, including anti-elite sentiments, political anxiety, economic threat, and perceived injustice. However, there is little scientific evidence related to the strength of these variables in a post-pandemic context and amid a neighbouring war. Drawing on original public opinion data collected in Poland, Hungary, and Romania, the current study identifies the main driving forces behind public demand for authoritarianism in these countries. The article develops a comparative perspective and thus contributes to a nuanced comprehension of the resurgence of authoritarianism in this part of the world.

Suggested Citation

  • Mihai Alexandrescu & Mihnea S. Stoica, 2024. "Authoritarian Demand in East‐Central Europe Post‐Pandemic and Amid Neighbouring War," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 12.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v12:y:2024:a:8594
    DOI: 10.17645/pag.8594
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mihnea S. Stoica & Andreea Voina, 2023. "Measuring Receptivity to Eurosceptic Media Discourses in the Vicinity of War: Evidence from Romania," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 11(4), pages 34-46.
    2. Matthews Alan, 2024. "Farmer Protests and the 2024 European Parliament Elections," Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, Sciendo, vol. 59(2), pages 83-87, March.
    3. Maxim Alyukov, 2022. "Propaganda, authoritarianism and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(6), pages 763-765, June.
    4. Norris, Pippa, 2017. "Is Western Democracy Backsliding? Diagnosing the Risks," Working Paper Series rwp17-012, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    5. Sean Kates & Joshua A. Tucker, 2019. "We Never Change, Do We? Economic Anxiety and Far‐Right Identification in a Postcrisis Europe," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 100(2), pages 494-523, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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