Democratic Threats and Resilience
“The case for democracy is simple: Democracy is the only political system that institutionalizes protections for minority voices while also protecting the rights of journalists, citizens, and opposition leaders to criticize their government,” Einaudi’s Thomas Pepinsky wrote in Brookings.
“The political criticism and meaningful dissent that democracies encourage is an existential threat to any authoritarian regime.”
Researchers across the Einaudi Center are monitoring evolving democratic norms and threats to democracy in the United States and around the world. This work is vital today, as our ability to address a range of global challenges—from pandemics and climate change to human rights—often hinges on the strength of representative institutions that provide voice and access to diverse societal interests and actors.
Focus on Research: Global Threats to Democracy
Military coups or social revolutions have not been the driving forces behind most contemporary democratic breakdowns. Unlike these decisive acts of regime change, recent frays in the democratic fabric have at first been easier to miss. They begin when leaders and parties use democratic institutions—courts, parliaments, the media—to concentrate power, marginalize opponents, and whittle away at a system’s checks and balances.
Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia have all experienced the rise of leaders, movements, and parties—often characterized as “populist”—that operate within democratic institutions while challenging their norms and conventions. Einaudi Center researchers are working together to identify the factors that make democratic institutions vulnerable to internal subversion and, more importantly, the conditions under which they are resilient. Read more below about our key research areas.
Warning: Autocracy
How can grassroots movements and civil society institutions resist the rise of autocratic regimes?
Populism
Which inequalities and cultural conflicts aid populist challengers and deepen polarization?
Regime Cleavage
Under what conditions do citizens lose faith in political institutions—and even democracy itself?
Get Involved at Einaudi
Explore Global Public Voices in the Media
Our Global Public Voices advocacy initiative promotes Einaudi experts’ engagement on public policy questions, global current events, and more. Check out Global Public Voices in the Media to see selected media appearances and op-eds from Global Public Voices fellows and alumni.
Democratic Threats in the Media
Democratic Decline a Global Phenomenon, Even in Wealthy Nations
Democratic backsliding is occurring in an unprecedented number of wealthy countries once thought immune to such forces—the United States among them—finds a new analysis by Einaudi's democratic threats researchers. To inform debates about where backsliding is happening, the team identified episodes of decline in nearly 40 countries since 1990. Half exceeded the wealth threshold above which social scientists have previously believed advanced industrial democracies could not break down.
From DTR Researchers
Friesen: World Lessons on U.S. Democracy
Mettler: Partisanship and the ACA
People
Kenneth Roberts: Democratic Threats Faculty Fellow
Kenneth Roberts leads Einaudi’s democratic threats and resilience research priority in academic years 2022–25. If you're a researcher interested in contributing, please reach out by email.
Read about his work with the Cornell Global Hub in Ecuador.
Scholars Under Threat
Global Cornell leads campus and community support for international scholars, students, and human-rights defenders whose work puts them at risk in their home countries. The Einaudi Center hosts the visitors during their time at Cornell, providing a welcoming intellectual community, collaborators and connections, and opportunities to build a sustainable career in the United States. Einaudi is currently hosting Sharif Hozoori (SAP).