On Wednesday May 18 at 12:30, Gabriel Lenz will give a talk on "The Subversion Dilemma: Why Voters Who Cherish Democracy Participate in Democratic Backsliding." No registration needed.

Gabe is a professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley. He studies accountability at the micro and macro scale. In particular, he has worked and is working on how citizens' can keep governments in line by holding them accountable for their performance, and how the government can keep citizens safe by holding citizens' accountable for violent behavior. Read more on his website.

Below is more information about the talk:

The Subversion Dilemma: Why Voters Who Cherish Democracy Participate in Democratic Backsliding

Abstract:

Around the world, citizens are voting away the democracies they claim to cherish. How is this possible? In this article, we examine whether they do so because they fear that, if they don’t, their opponents might do so first. In an observational study (N=1,973), we find that US partisans who most fear the other party’s willingness to break democratic norms are also those most willing to support breaking these norms themselves. In an experimental study (N=2,543), we use an intervention to reduce these often exaggerated fears. Less fearful partisan then become more supportive of democratic norms. They also become more willing to vote against candidates of their own party who are willing to break these norms. The findings suggest that we can foster democratic stability by strengthening trust in opposing partisans’ commitment to democracy.

Find the current version of the paper.