Back from the Brink: Countering Illiberalism in Liberal Democracies.

Recent years have seen the crisis of liberal democracies; large strata of the electorate have become disengaged with politics, and elected autocrats have increasingly dismantled constitutional checks and balances or threatened to do so.

Literature on the issue has primarily focused on the causes of democratic erosion. By contrast, the analysis of political and institutional responses to mounting illiberalism remains underdeveloped.

This year-long project – funded by the British Academy – will draw together scholars of institutions, policy making, party systems, social movements, and voting behaviour to explore solutions to turn the tide on the rise of illiberalism – the ultimate rejection of liberal democracies.

In collaboration with Professor Isabela Mares (Yale University), Giovanni will organize a series of workshops on the multiple facets of the current crisis of liberal democracies, which will result in the publication of a collective volume.