In person icon Fighting authoritarianism from within – the role of domestic actors

Abstract

Studies on the resurgence of authoritarianism in EU member states mostly focus on the reactions of the EU, while domestic responses have been barely considered. This panel, therefore, adopts a bottom-up perspective and looks at the role of civil society actors and opposition parties. In many states, the space for oppositional and civil society activities is rapidly shrinking. Governments amass power, deny the legitimacy of their political opponents, make elections less competitive, and restrict political and civil rights. Despite these obstacles, oppositional forces are still active as protests against controversial reforms in Poland or the electoral alliance of six parties in Hungary ahead of the 2022 general elections demonstrate. Recently, therefore, the question of democratic resilience and the role of domestic actors in backsliding states has moved onto the academic agenda. Against this background, the panel assembles case studies and a conceptual paper that analyse how domestic actors can fight authoritarianism from within. They explore how illiberal politicians target opposition parties and civil society actors, analyse the strategic challenges opposition and civil society actors face, ask how they can enhance democratic resilience in backsliding states and also explore political opportunity structures and mobilization strategies in authoritarian regimes.

Title	Details
Authoritarian resilience and the limits of pro-democratic civic activism	View Paper Details
The opposition parties’ EU agenda in Poland and Hungary	View Paper Details
Civil society organizations and the rule of law backsliding in Poland – methods, challenges, possible future scenarios	View Paper Details