The rise and appeal of ideological alternatives to liberal democracy in 21st Century

This panel examines the rise and appeal of ideological alternatives to liberal democracy in the 21st century, with a particular focus on illiberalism across European contexts. Through five complementary studies employing diverse methodological approaches—from computational text analysis to surveys and experiments—we investigate how illiberal ideologies manifest in both elite discourse and citizen attitudes, and how they challenge democratic norms and institutions. The contributions explore multiple dimensions of illiberal politics. At the transnational level, we examine how conservative networks like Poland's Ordo Iuris can successfully influence democratic processes across borders, as demonstrated in their campaign against the Istanbul Convention's ratification in the Czech Republic. We analyse how critical events, such as the Charlie Hebdo attacks in France, can trigger lasting shifts in political discourse around multiculturalism, leading mainstream parties to accommodate illiberal positions traditionally associated with the far right. The panel also investigates how illiberal regimes attempt to impose cultural conformity, using Hungary's popular music scene as a case study to understand the dynamics of artistic resistance and compliance under such pressures. Through innovative conjoint experiments across seven European countries, we explore citizens' willingness to trade off democratic principles for preferred policy outcomes, particularly in areas like immigration policy. Similarly the panel sheds light on gender equality and its contestation in illiberal contexts, using Hungary as a case study with a novel interview database. Finally, we examine the economic and social drivers of support for illiberal alternatives to democracy, revealing how these factors shape citizen preferences across different national contexts. Together, these papers provide a broad-ranging analysis of contemporary illiberalism's multiple manifestations and appeals, illuminating the ways in which illiberal ideologies gain traction through transnational advocacy networks, crisis events, cultural policies, policy trade-offs, and responding to socioeconomic grievances. This research contributes to our understanding of the complex challenges facing liberal democracy and the conditions under which illiberal alternatives find support among both political elites and citizens.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​