Backsliding and resilience in liberal democracies: One-day conference


Please register using the Eventbrite link

A one-day conference on backsliding and resilience in liberal democracies, to be held at Oxford University, Department of Politics and International Relations. We will have a roundtable format, with three thematic panels, there are 4 presenters panel.

The speakers will deliver a 20 minute presentation, followed by an audience Q&A. Each presentation will be on a particular aspect of democratic backsliding and resilience linked to their current or recent research.

Our speakers have been flown in globally to join us live for this one day event, be sure not to miss it.

The event will be in person and streamed live on Zoom.

Itinerary & speakers

10.00-10.15 – Introduction: Giovanni Capoccia and Petra Schleiter

10.15-12.00 Panel 1— Confronting Illiberalism and Populism in Liberal Democracies
Chair: Stathis Kalyvas (Oxford)
Giovanni Capoccia (Oxford) “Confronting Illiberalism in Liberal Democracies: Conceptual Challenges and Historical Perspectives”
Ivan Ermakoff (Winsconsin) “Democratic Resistance to Authoritarian Bids for State Power: Challenges and Prospects”
Isabela Mares (Yale) “The Erosion of Parliamentary Norms: Evidence from Weimar Germany”
Vicente Valentim (Oxford) “Social Norms, Preference Falsification, and Democratic Backsliding”

12.00-13.30 – Lunch break: lunch isn’t provided but there are cafes and restaurants nearby

13.30-15.15 Panel 2 – Challenges to democratic participation and representation
Chair: Jane Green (Oxford) [TO BE CONFIRMED]
Petra Schleiter (Oxford) “The Attitudinal and Behavioural Effects of Voter ID in the UK and Northern Ireland”
Justin Grimmer (Stanford) “Crisis and Opportunity in American Election Administration”
Lonna Atkeson (Florida) “Restoring Voter Confidence: Conditional Explanations for the Partisan Effects on Voter Confidence”
Susan Stokes (Chicago) “Polarization as a Strategy for Aspiring Autocrats: Why does it Work? What are its Limits?”

15.15-15.45 – Short break

15.45-17.30 Panel 3 – Sources and Strategies of Democratic Resilience
Chair: Andrea Ruggeri (Oxford)
Robert Lieberman (Johns Hopkins) “Backsliding in Reverse? Reflections on Democratic Fragility and Resilience”
David Bateman (Cornell) “Democratic Hardball: Clutching for Straw at the Edge of the Cliff”
Melis Laebens and Marcin Slarzynski (Oxford) “Political Sources of Democratic Resilience in Poland”
Stephen Haggard (UC San Diego) “Backsliding, Incrementalism and Resilience”