Post-Authoritarian Norms and the Ideological Legacy of Dictatorships

Introduction

Why have once successful left-wing parties in Poland nearly died out by 2015 (Grzymala-Busse 2019)? Why has Portugal been one of the last countries in Western Europe to see a radical right party in the national parliament? Why are right-wing individuals more likely to protest in Eastern Europe than left-wing individuals (Kostelka and Rovny 2019)?

Theory Proposal

POSTNORM proposes a theory postulating that these seemingly unrelated patterns are the product of a single process: the rejection of the ideological brand of the past authoritarian regime.

Research Methodology

Through novel survey experiments, POSTNORM will examine how in new democracies, the ideological associations with the old regime serve as a focal point for norms that govern what are appropriate political positions for voters and parties.

Ideological Associations

In democracies following left (right-)wing dictatorship, voters and political elites avoid associating themselves with the left (right) respectively.

Testable Expectations

POSTNORM further derives a set of testable expectations about how this bias shapes both the demand- and the supply side of party competition. The bias colors:

1. Citizens’ ideological preferences
2. Perceptions about parties’ stances on these issues
3. National identity
4. Political discussions
5. The supply of new parties
6. Post-transition party names and programmatic stances
7. Party elite discourse

Conclusion

POSTNORM will deliver a parsimonious new theory that will help make sense of heterogeneity in political competition across new democracies.