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Party System Institutionalization, Partisan Affect, And Satisfaction With Democracy, Hannah M. Ridge
Party System Institutionalization, Partisan Affect, And Satisfaction With Democracy, Hannah M. Ridge
Political Science Faculty Articles and Research
Citizens’ attitudes about the political parties in their countries have been linked to their overall satisfaction with their democracy, with those feeling great love (hate) for parties feeling more (less) satisfied with the democracy. Such strong positive and negative emotions require time and clear targets to form. This study demonstrates that the influence of interparty affect is greater where the party system has institutionalized. Where the public can be familiar with the parties, their positions, and their relative status in the party system, citizens’ attitudes toward the democracy are more informed by their feelings about the parties in the system. …
Dismantling New Democracies: The Case Of Tunisia, Hannah M. Ridge
Dismantling New Democracies: The Case Of Tunisia, Hannah M. Ridge
Political Science Faculty Articles and Research
After a decade as the stand-out democracy of the Middle East, Tunisia took an anti-democratic turn in July 2021 with President Kaïs Saïed’s self-coup. Using a survey fielded in the weeks after these reforms, this article documents the substantial support for liberal institutions and civil rights in Tunisia. Democracy itself, on the other hand, is not so strongly supported. The study thus identifies potential for democratic backsliding in Tunisia through the strategic implementation liberal but anti-democratic actions. Other would-be authoritarians could follow Saïed’s model of strategic regression to autocratize their regimes.