De-democratization in Hungary: diffusely defective democracy. Issue 8 (17th November 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bogaards, Matthijs
• Is Part Of: Democratization. Volume 25:Issue 8(2018)
• Page Start: 1481
• Page End: 1499
• Publication Date: 2018-11-17
• Subjects: de-democratization -- Hungary -- deviant case -- exemplary case -- defective democracy; Democracy -- Periodicals; Economic history -- 1990- -- Periodicals; Democratization -- Periodicals; 321.8
• DOI: 10.1080/13510347.2018.1485015
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1351-0347

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Scholarly attention has started to shift from democratization and democratic consolidation to trends of democratic deconsolidation, backsliding, regression, and erosion. This article examines Hungary as a deviant and exemplary case for understanding de-democratization. The starting point is the literature on defective democracy, which provides a unified framework of analysis for the causes and the outcomes of democratization. However, as the case of Hungary shows, de-democratization is not simply the mirror of democratization. In Hungary, both the outcome and the process of de-democratization defy expectations. The democratic defects do not conform to any of the standard types, instead resembling a "diffusely defective democracy". Moreover, existing explanations fail to account for their emergence. The case of Hungary indicates that our knowledge of democratization may be a poor guide to understanding de-democratization.