Liberty, Security, and Accountability: The Rise and Fall of Illiberal Democracies

Abstract We study a model of the rise and fall of illiberal democracies. Voters value both liberty and economic security. In times of crisis, voters may prefer to elect an illiberal government that, by violating constitutional constraints, offers greater economic security but less liberty. However,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Review of economic studies Vol. 91; no. 1; pp. 340 - 371
Main Authors Gratton, Gabriele, Lee, Barton E
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published US Oxford University Press 12.01.2024
Subjects
Bayesian persuasion
Illiberal democracy
Electoral accountability
Dynamic delegation
Autocratization
Checks and balances
Executive constraints
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Abstract We study a model of the rise and fall of illiberal democracies. Voters value both liberty and economic security. In times of crisis, voters may prefer to elect an illiberal government that, by violating constitutional constraints, offers greater economic security but less liberty. However, violating these constraints allows the government to manipulate information, in turn reducing electoral accountability. We show how elements of liberal constitutions induce voters to elect illiberal governments that remain in power for inefficiently long—including forever. We derive insights into what makes constitutions stable against the rise of illiberal governments. We extend the model to allow for illiberal governments to overcome checks and balances and become autocracies. We show that stronger checks and balances are a double-edged sword: they slow down autocratization but may make it more likely. We discuss the empirical relevance of our theoretical framework and its connection to real world examples.
ISSN:0034-6527
1467-937X
DOI:10.1093/restud/rdad030