Democratic Values and Support for Executive Power
Individuals with stronger democratic values are less supportive of expanded executive power, as shown by cross-national survey data from the Americas and Africa.
Why It Matters
The publication begins with a motivating question: How do individuals' democratic values shape their attitudes toward executive power across countries in the Americas and Africa?
Its central contribution is to show that individuals with stronger democratic values are less supportive of expanded executive power, as shown by cross-national survey data from the Americas and Africa.
It matters because the findings connect institutional choices to the way authority, public responsibility, and political behavior are experienced in practice.
Key Findings
- Supporters of incumbent presidents are more favorable toward executive power.
- Individuals with stronger commitments to democracy are less supportive of institutional arrangements that favor the executive.
- Attitudes toward executive power are shaped by both partisanship and core democratic values, not just political alignment.
- These patterns are consistent across countries in the Americas and Africa.
Research Design
- Design
- Article
- Data
- AmericasBarometer surveys (26 countries in the Americas, 2010–2019); Afrobarometer surveys (37 countries in Africa, 2000–2019)
- Geography
- 26 countries in the Americas and 37 countries in Africa
- Time Period
- Americas: 2010–2019; Africa: 2000–2019
- Unit of Analysis
- individual survey respondent
- Methods
- Cross-national survey analysis using AmericasBarometer and Afrobarometer data; Linear and logistic regression models with country-wave fixed effects; Analysis of individual and aggregate-level attitudes toward executive power and democracy
Full Abstract
Attempts by elected executives to consolidate power have generated alarm and raised concern about democratic backsliding. We study mass attitudes toward the institutional power of the office of the presidency and argue that individuals' democratic values shape views of executive power. Using data from 26 countries in the Americas and 37 countries in Africa, we find support for our perspective. While supporters of the incumbent president express more favorable views toward executive power, we also show that individuals who express stronger commitments to democracy are less supportive of institutional arrangements that favor the executive. Our results demonstrate that attitudes toward the institutions of government are not shaped only by partisanship and other ephemeral political factors, but also by citizens' core commitments to values over governance.
Citation
Presidential Studies Quarterly 53 (2): 293-312.
- Venue
- Presidential Studies Quarterly
- Volume
- 53
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 293–312
- DOI
- 10.1111/psq.12837