How Democracies Die: Understanding Democratic Backsliding
Published: 15 September 2026
In this lecture, Professor Anja Neundorf (University of Glasgow) explores what democratic backsliding is, how it unfolds, and what recent global evidence reveals about the changing state of democracy across the world.
Around the world, democracy is under pressure, but today's democracies rarely collapse through military coups or revolutions. Instead, they are more often weakened gradually from within by elected leaders who erode democratic institutions step by step. In this lecture, Professor Anja Neundorf (University of Glasgow) explores what democratic backsliding is, how it unfolds, and what recent global evidence reveals about the changing state of democracy worldwide.
First published: 15 September 2026