Topics in Policy Analysis (Half-Term): Democratic Backsliding in the US

Is democracy at risk in the United States? Scholars of new democracies have long worried about democratic backsliding. More recently, there is concern that even established democracies are backsliding. Some commentators have raised alarm about growing support for political violence and the refusal to accept the outcome of elections, and the apparent willingness of some voters to elect candidates who violate democratic norms and laws. What is democratic backsliding? What is the role of partisan polarization, misinformation, institutional checks & balances, conspiracy theories, populism, economic inequality, and xenophobia and other prejudices?