Despite all the studies, which have addressed democratic backsliding in recent years, we still do not know how committed elected politicians are to democracy. Can we count on our democratically elected politicians to unconditionally uphold democratic norms and practices even if it conflicts with their own political interests? The objective of this proposal is to answer these questions, which are among the most pressing concerns in modern democracy. The study uses unique panel data from Finland and Sweden, as well as a comparative survey data of political candidates from European democracies. This helps us to understand the extent to which democratic erosion occurs among elected politicians versus ordinary citizens. By using survey experiments, the project will be able to study under what conditions politicians and citizens might be willing to sacrifice democratic principles for political gain. The project is hosted by the Social Science Research Institute at Åbo Akademi University.

2024

2028