Civic Engagement and the Collapse of Law and Justice’s Poland

• In Event: Democratic Erosion and Resistance: Domestic to International Factors 1

Abstract

Civil society freedom is one of the fastest declining V-Dem measures of autocratizing nations, with repression of civil society organizations (CSOs) increasing across 22 countries in 2022. Illiberal leaders starve ideologically opposed CSOs of resources and legal footing, while bolstering likeminded groups. Yet despite the civic sphere being a central preoccupation for backsliding incumbents, it is unclear whether civic meddling always generates enduring support for these leaders and their parties. To evaluate this relationship, I draw on individual panel data from Poland under the Law and Justice (PiS) government. I find, surprisingly, that civil society participation significantly predicts movement away from PiS between 2015 and 2018, the period in which PiS undertook key attacks on the courts and media. I use original survey data and interviews to evaluate two potential mechanisms underpinning this relationship: (1) the bridging effects of social capital and (2) civic participation alerting individuals to gaps in government performance.

Author

• Frances Cayton, Cornell University