The Illiberal Turn in Advanced Democracies

Executive Summary

Consolidation of substantive democracies requires the establishment of measures that go far beyond the procedural elements of democracy, the erosion of which is leading to the rapid rise of illiberalism across the globe. It is no longer possible to associate this phenomenon solely with the developing world or with those countries whose democracies have never truly reached the phase of consolidation. We now see the erosion of liberal democracy in various shapes and forms across advanced democracies in Europe as well as in the United States and beyond. Thus, we argue that the rise of illiberalism in advanced democracies should not be viewed as an isolated instance but as a natural outcome of an interconnected phenomenon that is rapidly gaining pace across the globe. As opposed to dominant accounts that resort to factors stemming from identity and/or economic considerations, we believe that the underlying reasons behind the rise of illiberalism in advanced democracies should be sought in multi-layered explanations that rest on the disconnect between globalization and democracy.