Europe's Autocracy Trap... and How to Escape it
25 November 2020, 6:00 pm–7:15 pm
Daniel Kelemen examines the political factors behind the EU's "autocracy trap."
This event is free.
Event Information
Open to
- All
Availability
- Yes
Cost
- Free
Organiser
-
Claudia Sternberg
ABSTRACT: While the European Union (EU) claims to be committed to pluralist democracy, in recent years it has allowed some member governments - most notably Hungary and Poland - to backslide toward authoritarianism. Now the EU has become stuck in an "autocracy trap" or "authoritarian equilibrium", in which hybrid authoritarian regimes are able to thrive within the Union, making a mockery of its professed values while benefiting from its subsidies. In this talk, I will examine the political factors behind this autocracy trap, outline the steps EU leaders would need to take to escape it, and assess the prospects of their doing so.
Speaker:
Chair: Christopher Wratil
Find more information on the UCL European Politics Series, including our full preliminary programme, here.