October 2026, Volume 37, Issue 4
Symposium: Democratic Resistance in Eroding Democracies
Read the full note here.
Free Articles
October 2026, Volume 37, Issue 4
How to Build the Right Coalition
Opposition parties cannot defeat backsliding incumbents alone, but big united fronts often fail, too. The important choice lies between unity coalitions and quiet ones—and knowing which to choose can make all the difference.
October 2026, Volume 37, Issue 4
How to Protect the Media in Eroding Democracies
Independent journalism is under siege from lawsuits, shutdowns, and digital dominance. Good reporting is no longer enough: The media must win distribution, build solidarity networks, diversify funding, and connect the consequences of democratic erosion to daily life.
October 2026, Volume 37, Issue 4
How Courts Survive Democratic Backsliding
When elected leaders attack the courts, judges rarely prevail on their own. Across 25 cases of backsliding, judicial independence survived only where legislators, protesters, and international institutions stood ready to defend it.
October 2026, Volume 37, Issue 4
How to Break an Autocrat’s Coalition
Autocrats look invincible until their allies start to walk away. Defections have brought down regimes from Guatemala to Hungary, and they can be engineered: Raise the costs of standing with the autocrat and ease the path out.
October 2026, Volume 37, Issue 4
How Protest Can Halt Backsliding
Opposition movements have begun to question the power of taking to the street. But protest matters in backsliding democracies when it builds opposition strength—politicizing new voters, emboldening institutions, and fracturing the ruling coalition.
Democracy’s Arc: From Resurgent to Imperiled (Expanded Edition)
This is the darkest moment for freedom in half a century. Whether democracy regains its footing will depend on how democratic leaders and citizens respond to emboldened authoritarians and the fissures within their own societies.