NEPOVERENJE U DEMOKRATSKE INSTITUCIJE I PODRŠKA NEDEMOKRATSKIM SISTEMIMA VLADAVINE: POPULISTIČKI MEHANIZAM
DISTRUST IN DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS AND SUPPORT FOR UNDEMOCRATIC MODES OF GOVERNMENT: THE POPULIST MECHANISM

Author(s): Bojan Todosijević, Zoran Pavlović M.
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Political Theory, Sociology of Politics
Published by: Институт друштвених наука
Keywords: democracy; populism; representation; public opinion; Serbia
Summary/Abstract: One of frequently mentioned characteristics of populist orientation is distrust in democratic institutions, dissatisfaction with the representativeness of elected political representatives, and generally the negative attitude towards the political elite. The association of this orientation with the potential support for undemocratic forms of government is insufficiently researched problem. This is an important issue since it is often emphasized that populism represents a threat to democracy exactly because it facilitates the development of undemocratic regimes. The aim of this paper is to empirically examine the existence of such an association. The analysis is based on a public opinion survey, conducted in Serbia after the 2012 parliamentary and presidential elections. The negative evaluation of the functioning of the political system is operationalized via a set of variables that refer to the attitude towards functioning of electoral system, evaluation of the representative function of elections, and the attitude towards the representation by the National Assembly members. The analysis examines the distribution of these variables, and their relationships with the variables measuring the support for undemocratic forms of government. The results show that democracy enjoys a broad support among the Serbian population, but also that the public is critical concerning the representativeness of the political system and political elites. The association between the lack of trust in democratic institutions and the support for undemocratic forms of government, often emphasized in the literature, received a very weak support.

• Details
• Contents