Abstract:
Democratic backsliding, characterized by the incremental erosion of democratic principles and a resurgence of authoritarian tendencies, profoundly influences the very fabric of security governance. While its impact on public administration has been explored by scholars of public policy and public administration, the interaction between the backsliding process and security governance has not been widely discussed in the contemporary context. This dedicated edition of Connections is intended to fill the gap in understanding the process of democratic backsliding and its impact on security governance. To that end, this edition explores how security institutions can become both tools and victims in the hands of authoritarian populists, and how the professional objectivity of security professionals is challenged when confronted with an authoritarian leader’s will.
