Transitions within Democracy: Institutions, Interests, and Accountability

2020 Fiscal Year Research-status Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K01457
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: Kellam Marisa.A 早稲田大学, 政治経済学術院, 准教授 (30711866)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2025-03-31
• Keywords: Comparative Politics / Democracy / Democratic Backsliding / Democratic Rebound / Regime Transitions / Social Exclusion

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

During FY 2020, I focused on the theoretical framework and research design for this project which seeks to describe and to explain change within democracies: when, how and why do democracies change?

I had to adjust my research plan due to the coronavirus pandemic. Because both of the research assistants on this project were unable to return to Japan, I shifted the intensive data collection and coding phase of this project to FY2021-2022. This delay gave me more time to read and review the expanding literature on democratic backsliding and to revise and elaborate upon the typology of within-democracy regime types that is central to this project.

In particular, I incorporated the concept of social exclusion more fully into my theoretical framework. Also, I developed three hypotheses that I plan to test in a series of research papers that will take this project beyond the existing research by (1) placing democratic backsliding within a broader study of democratic change, (2) explaining how vulnerabilities to backsliding differ across countries, and (3) identifying the conditions under which democracy is more likely to rebound or, conversely, more likely to slip further towards authoritarianism.

Current Status of Research Progress

3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.

Reason

The coronavirus pandemic forced me to make changes to my research plans. Also my research assistants were not able to return to Japan.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, I had to cancel the field research that I had planned. However, I will follow democratic backsliding and domestic politics of key countries in Latin America and Asia through news and reports. I believe that I will be able to complete this research project even if I am unable to visit Ecuador and Mongolia for fieldwork, as originally planned. During FY 2021, I will first classify the regime types of Latin American democracies since 1980, and then turn to the classification of East and Southeast Asian democracies since 1980.

Causes of Carryover

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, I was unable to hire my research assistants who were unable to return to Japan in 2020. I will use these funds for research assistance in 2021.