Explaining Citizen Attitudes to Strategies of Democratic Defense in Europe: A Resource in Responses to Contemporary Challenges to Liberal Democracy?

Abstract

It has long been speculated that banning parties from participation in elections may be counterproductive because it might provoke societal resistance. Using the European Social Survey (2002–2010; N = 195,405), our study suggests otherwise. We demonstrate that party bans enjoy the legitimacy of majority support. This holds true irrespective of countries’ resilience to extremist influences (or lack thereof) resulting from “institutional intolerance,” electoral entry barriers and authoritarian legacies. Individual orientations toward the democratic establishment do matter to a small extent: citizens with authoritarian tendencies and low system support are less supportive, while this is less so for citizens with extremist ideological orientations. Even though party bans entail significant democratic dilemmas, this study reveals societal resources supportive of repressive responses to extremist parties.

Support for democracy in ego‐centered social contexts

“…It is argued, for example, that in some countries democratic institutions and processes have become over decades so self‐evident and self‐explanatory and—because of that—so deeply ingrained in culture and personalities, that current criticizing of “wheels of democracy” has become no more than another reflection of being a dedicated supporter of democracy. If so, that criticism in no way means criticizing democracy as a commonly accepted, fully legitimized, political regime (de Leeuw and Bourne 2020). Studying data from East‐Central Europe, Pop‐Eleches and Tucker (2013) argue that those brought up, educated, and living their lives under state‐socialist institutional regimes criticize current works of democracy in their countries by applying standards inherited from nonexisting institutions of state socialism.…”

The Antiestablishment Challenge

“…They are also extremely popular, with this "militant" approach to defending democratic systems enjoying support even among citizens who have more negative attitudes toward democracy. 17 The question remains, however, whether party bans are also effective. Examining European democratic experiences since the end of First World War shows that party bans have succeeded in some cases, but failed in others.…”