How Authoritarian Governments Stay in Power: Examining Key Factors and Understanding Democratic Backsliding

Author(s)	Ayaan Mehta
Country	India
Abstract	This paper highlights how tools of authoritarian stability can help people understand the concept of democratic backsliding. It divides the tools into 3 pillars and stresses on the different theories about democratic backsliding. The research study explains case studies about democratic backsliding in Poland and Hungary by giving examples of how the 3 pillars of authoritarian stability were used by the regimes of these countries. Overall, the findings explain how establishment democracies can become weaker when key institutions of government are gradually controlled by the ruling parties.
Keywords	Democratic backsliding; Corruption; Economic mismanagement; Mismanagement of the justice system; Dissatisfaction with politicians; Economic hardships, Power of the single ruler; Limited or no political competition; Lack of individual freedom; Rise of authoritarianism; Future of democracy; Out of touch elites
Field	Sociology > Politics
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 6, November-December 2025
Published On	2025-12-28
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i06.64518

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