Routledge Handbook of Autocratization in South Asia

Widmalm, Sten

doi:10.4324/9781003042211

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 163 publications

(200 reference statements)

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“…36 In the world's most populous democracy, India, the policies enforced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, targeting Muslims and non-Hindu citizens, on average poorer than the rest of the population, constitute enormous threats to the state of Indian democracy, for some already an electoral autocracy. 37 We may also affirm that augmenting inequalities between ethnic groups undermine the emergence of minimally democratic institutions in electoral autocracies. The case of Myanmar can demonstrate this, where the struggle of the majoritarian Bamar ethnic group against the insurgencies of other, poorer groups at the bordersculminated in the Rohingya genocide -first undermined the democratic credentials of the National League for Democracy and then fractured the civic reaction to the 2021 military coup, according to analysists.…”

Section: Inequalities Between Ethnic Groups and Autocratizationmentioning

confidence: 87%

Do mutually reinforcing cleavages harm democracy? Inequalities between ethnic groups and autocratization

Panzano

2023

Democratization

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Do mutually reinforcing cleavages harm democracy? Evidence from specific cases suggests that autocratization can be related to the predicament of ethnic groups, if ethnicity is politicized and involves resource distribution. However, we know little about whether this is a cause of autocratization more broadly. The article demonstrates that, with increasing inequalities between ethnic groups, a country experiences a decline in its level of democracy and higher propensity to start autocratizing. The analysis thus advances previous contributions, focusing on individual inequalities and power-sharing institutions as explanations of democratization or democratic quality, in two ways. First, isolating autocratization as downturns in democracy levels and the onsets of related timespans (autocratization episodes), and comparing the impact of (economic, political, and social) types of inequalities between ethnic groups. Second, adopting a global sample of (democratic and non-democratic) countries since 1981, with an original data collection integrating expert surveys with survey data. Quantitative evidence confirms most expectations, particularly on economic inequalities between ethnic groups, andalthough less preciselyeconomic, political and social dimensions combined. The findings have important implications for political regime and ethnic studies, showing that preventing the mutual reinforcement of sociocultural and economic cleavages is key to stabilize democracy.

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Section: Inequalities Between Ethnic Groups and Autocratizationmentioning

confidence: 87%

Do mutually reinforcing cleavages harm democracy? Inequalities between ethnic groups and autocratization

Panzano

2023

Democratization

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“…The ubiquitous popularity of the term suggests it identifies qualities in certain leaders that make them stand out and be seen as different from other leaders of the same order. Other concepts have been applied to capture the nature of regimes in backsliding democracies, such as 'authoritarian populism' (Scoones et al, 2018), 'right-wing populism' (Wodak, 2015), 'autocracy' (Widmalm, 2022) or 'majoritarianism' (Palshikar, 2022). The main challenge that these concepts represent is that they do not explain the centrality of the individual leader at the expense of policies, ideology or party machine.…”

Section: The Term and Its Potential Usefulnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strongman: The Extraordinary Leaders of India and the Philippines

Ruud

2023

Studies in Indian Politics

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Both Narendra Modi and Rodrigo Duterte stand out as leaders that epitomise their respective reigns in ways that previous leaders did not. A juxtaposition of their political personae allows us to investigate a contemporary political phenomenon, that of the elected strongman leader. This article makes three points from this juxtaposition: (a) They presided over a period of ‘democratic backsliding’. (b) They came with social media. (c) They are their own message and that message is that they are extraordinary leaders, above ordinary constraints. This article concludes that they represent strongman politics—where they as their people’s representative engage in acts symbolic of the people’s sovereignty. In an age of discontent with democracy, new and social media have allowed them to portray themselves as true defenders of ‘the people’.

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“…This majoritarian nationalism is in fact dismantling the most populous democracy in the world, according to analysts. 64 India is not the only case of autocratization in South Asia. The ERT also classifies Indonesia autocratizing since 2009.…”

Section: Case-based Evidence From Official Reportsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autocratization as Ethnocratization? How Regime Transformations toward Autocracy Deteriorate Ethnic Relations

Panzano

2023

Nationalism and Ethnic Politics

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When a country becomes more autocratic, does it affect the relations between ethnic groups in a systematic way? Cross-national and case-based research witnesses how autocratization (the opposite of democratization) is becoming increasingly prevalent, particularly in societies where ethnic relations are politicized and polarized. However, we still lack sufficient knowledge on how autocratization might have an impact on ethnic relations. The paper advances previous autocratization and ethnic studies. It hypothesizes that if a country autocratizes, this further deteriorates its ethnic relations (ethnocratization). It substantiates this claim through a mixed-method design. It starts with a longitudinal analysis at the ethnic group-level, to demonstrate how ethnic discrimination and domination are more probable during autocratization episodes. Next, it examines a collection of international reports on the predicament of ethnic majorities and minorities in countries undergoing autocratization episodes, to identify two causal mechanisms as the main incentives and justifications of the incumbent (and autocratizing) elites: ideological legitimation and authoritarian experimentation. This research encourages scholars on autocratization and ethnic studies to join their efforts, to investigate how democracy and ethnic inclusion can decline in parallel and, thus, to show the reasons why they should advance together.

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Routledge Handbook of Autocratization in South Asia

Cited by 5 publications

References 163 publications

Do mutually reinforcing cleavages harm democracy? Inequalities between ethnic groups and autocratization

Do mutually reinforcing cleavages harm democracy? Inequalities between ethnic groups and autocratization

Strongman: The Extraordinary Leaders of India and the Philippines

Autocratization as Ethnocratization? How Regime Transformations toward Autocracy Deteriorate Ethnic Relations

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