A Wounded Democracy: Analysis of the Determinant Factors of Democratic Backsliding in Brazil

Main Article Content

Davi Mendes Málaga
Suely de Fátima Ramos Silveira

Abstract

Despite its prominence in the international political landscape and its widespread adoption throughout the world, democracy is seldom a stable regimen, and often repeatedly stressed and tested by attempts to wield autocratic power. Anti-democratic attacks assume particular forms and may lead to varied outcomes, from the strengthening of enduring democracies, to democratic backsliding or its complete rupture. Among several similar cases, Brazil recently underwent an attempt against its democracy, which climaxed in an attempted coup d’état on January 8th, 2023. This paper aims to examine democratic backsliding as a phenomenon, through an analysis of the coup attempted in Brazil in 2023 as a case study. It was perceived that the presence of a would-be autocrat with a populist strategy in command of the executive branch of government played an important role in promoting democratic backsliding. While the Brazilian democracy sustained some lasting damage to its institutions, it has resisted this attack by autocracy.

Article Details

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Articles (refereed)
Author Biographies

Davi Mendes Málaga, Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Brazil

Davi Mendes Málaga is a Researcher and Ph.D. Candidate at the Department of Administration and Accounting at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Brazil. He received a masters' degree in Administration and a Bachelor's degree in Law from the Federal University of Viçosa. His current research includes aspects of Politics and Policy in Brazil, focused in Public Safety, Crime and Prison Policy.

Suely de Fátima Ramos Silveira, Federal University of Viçosa

Suely de Fátima Ramos Silveira is an Associate Professor in the Department of Administration and Accounting at the Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil. She obtained her Ph.D. degree in Applied Economics from the Superior School of Agriculture Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ), in the University of São Paulo (USP). She is a member of the Scientific and Administrative Council of the Institute of Public Policy and Sustainable Development of the Federal University of Viçosa (IPPDS). Her research interests include Public Administration, Public Policy and Development.