Research Project Democratic illiberalism- A case study of Hungary

Progetto di ricerca durante periodo in erasmus presso Roskilde Universitet. The recent emergence of populism as a worldwide phenomenon has been of interest to a number of theorists and political scientists with varying definitions and conceptualisations of the term. The primary aim of this paper is to explore the relation between populism and the decline in the quality of liberal democracy through the chosen case study of Hungary. The theoretical framework utilises three contemporary scholars’ theories with equal importance dedicated to them, namely Takis S. Pappas, Wolfgang Merkel and Cas Mudde. The core premise and problem formulation of the paper is derived from Pappas’ theory on populism, which equates the term with illiberal democraticness. Through a twofold analytical process, utilising a mixed-method approach, the project was able to validate Pappas’ theory and explain the relation between the two distinct concepts through two independent theories. Results of the analyses demonstrate that liberalism and populism can never occur together and consequently, a liberal democratic state ruled by a populist leader will always experience a decline in its liberal qualities and an upsurge in illiberal tendencies. The intricate conceptual framework revealed additional peculiarities of the case which serve as suggestions to the refinement of the respective theory.