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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Backlash against the procedural consensus
Claudia Landwehrsubject
021110 strategic defence & security studiesmedia_common.quotation_subject05 social sciencesImmigration0211 other engineering and technologies02 engineering and technologyManagement Monitoring Policy and Law0506 political sciencePopulismGlobalizationPoliticsPolicy decisionPolitical economyPolitical sciencePolitical Science and International Relations050602 political science & public administrationMinority rightsBacklashmedia_commondescription
While the politics of backlash is typically described as a reaction to policy decisions in favour of minority rights, immigration or globalisation, this essay focuses on the fact that backlash typically also involves a reaction against the procedural consensus liberal democracy is based upon. This challenge to democratic procedures and institutions may be even more dangerous in its effects than the substantial objectives of backlash. I use the composite definition of backlash suggested by Alter and Zürn to assess in how far the attacks on the institutions of liberal democracy have retrograde objectives in themselves or in how far they are merely instrumental to the pursuit of other retrograde objectives. The conclusion reflects on possible outcomes of backlash politics for democratic institutions and argues that in the best case, the present contestation of rules, norms and institutions could also lead to a democratic renewal of the procedural consensus.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-09-03 | The British Journal of Politics and International Relations |