This book examines the impact of democratic backsliding and populist governments on the public policy process. Drawing on case studies from the USA, Brazil, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Turkey, and the Philippines, it assesses how elected populist governments have eroded policy capabilities and dismantled state apparatuses responsible for making and implementing policy. The book offers a unique perspective into democratic backsliding through a public policy lens, and considers why, when and how policy processes change as a result of populist governments. Numerous policy issues are analysed throughout the volume, including environmental, health and economic policies. It will appeal to all those interested in public policy, democracy studies, and public administration.

Few questions at the intersection of political science and public administration have more relevance than how populism is reshaping state capacities.  Public Policy in Democratic Backsliding  provides compelling insights, both theoretical and practical, about how illiberal actors in a range of settings take control of and degrade the bureaucracy, and what it means for the capacity of democracies to function.  

Donald Moynihan , Professor, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University, USA.

Amidst the surge of illiberal politics worldwide, understanding the policy process during democratic backsliding is more than necessary. This book develops a framework that not only helps us understand the drivers of illiberal politics, but also delve into the results of illiberal policy processes. The authors alert us about the unpredictability of policy processes that emerge from illiberal politics and the dangers of this deviation from the vision of a pluralistic liberal democracy.

Alketa Peci, UN Committee of Experts in Public Administration, Professor of Public Administration and Government, Getulio Vargas Foundation, Brazil.

This book examines the impact of democratic backsliding and populist governments on public policy processes. Drawing on case studies from the USA, Brazil, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Turkey, and the Philippines, it assesses how elected populist governments have eroded policy capabilities and dismantled state apparatuses responsible for making and implementing policy. The book offers a unique perspective into democratic backsliding through a public policy lens, and considers why, when and how policy processes change as a result of populist governments. Numerous policy issues are analysed throughout the volume, including environmental, health and economic policies. It will appeal to all those interested in public policy, democracy studies, and public administration.

Michelle Morais de Sá e Silva  is Associate Professor of International and Area Studies at the University of Oklahoma, USA.

Alexandre de Ávila Gomide  is Tenured Researcher at the Institute for Applied Economic Research, Brazil.