Rules and Measures
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
From Neoliberalism to Orbàn: Political Disaffection and Populism in Europe View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Mert Kartal
What explains the rise of populist parties in Europe? The literature predominantly considers the negative economic effects of neoliberal policies adopted by established political parties on the middle class as the key cause. That is, the political establishment’s inability to offer any reasonable solution to worsening economic conditions is assumed to drive protest voting for anti-establishment parties. We identify the negative political impact of neoliberal policies as an equally important factor: By defining economic policy as a technical issue that requires special expertise, proponents of neoliberal policies effectively exclude “ordinary” people from participating in economic and political debates. In return, populist politicians have successfully framed the supporters of these neoliberal policies as “the corrupt elite.” Focusing on Central and Eastern Europe whose weaker economies and political institutions have been fertile ground for increasing populism, we employ an original dataset measuring the relative electoral success of populist parties in 11 EU-member countries in the region since 1990 and examine the conditions under which these parties are able to achieve electoral breakthroughs. Our analyses suggest that worsening economic conditions have a limited impact on the rise of populism as anti-establishment parties perform considerably well in elections during times of economic growth. Instead, the increase in perceived levels of corruption turns out to be the main determinant of populists’ electoral success. These findings are supported by case studies of various EU-member countries indicating that populist leaders successfully blame corruption on established political parties’ neoliberal policies and define themselves as “fighters for true democracy.”
A Non-event: The Curious Case of Ratifying the African Women’s Rights Framework in Ethiopia
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Karmen Tornius
Why did the Ethiopian government ratify the African Union’s Maputo Protocol 15 years after it had signed it, and why, once they had done it, did they tell no one? Constructivist accounts of women’s struggles discuss processes of translating international norms to local contexts, but rarely account for the intricacies of national politics. The case of Ethiopia shows that the reality of adopting a normative framework is immensely complex and contextual. This study contributes to an understanding of what happens to international norms in national political contexts. Based on qualitative interviews, the paper uses empirical data to understand how the interplay of international influence, political regime, dominant ideology and the content of the Maputo Protocol (Kang 2015) led to 15-years of contestation, and finally an ad hoc and quiet ratification of one of the most progressive women’s rights frameworks in the world. The paper argues that volatile politics explain the lengthy journey towards ratification and a long list of reservations, but also suggests that the actual ratification was little more than circumstantial.
Higher Education and the Establishment of Liberal Deliberative Norms View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Andrew Katz
Liberal democratic societies are increasingly rent by divisions correlated with level of education. Around the liberal democratic world, the norm of bounded competition is under threat, as political opponents no longer yield to the imperative of live-and-let live and accord the victor the requisite legitimacy to govern in the face of an unfavorable electoral outcome. To gain insight to this dynamic, we investigate the role of institutions of higher learning on the establishment and maintenance of the essential liberal norms of democratic deliberation. Using selected colleges and universities in Eastern Europe as case studies, we examine how these institutions reproduce democratic practices that are essential for the operation of liberal democracy. Owing to the almost concurrent transition to democracy among the states of the region, Eastern Europe provides a promising landscape to explore how the curriculums of these institutions promise to prepare graduates to promote mutual toleration across political difference and forbearance in the exercise of political power that Levitsky and Ziblatt identity as key liberal democratic norms. Through structured interviews and other means we ascertain the extent to which liberal arts college graduates in the transitioning democracies of Eastern Europe serve to facilitate and/or undermine the performance of the elite strata in protecting electoral integrity, promoting open debate, and working to filter out extreme candidates for office. The paper clarifies the role of institutions of higher learning in building habits of democratic practice and sustaining rules of deliberation.
