Oxford University (2021)

Virtual roundtable

Title: Democracy in South East Europe: Backsliding or new normal?

At: Oxford University, St Antony’s College, SEESOX

Date: Online, January 2021.

Speakes: Damir Kapidzic (University of Sarajevo); Milada Vachudova (North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Discussant: Dimitar Bechev (Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna)

Chair: Othon Anastasakis (St Antony’s College, Oxford)

This is the introductory seminar in the Hilary Term SEESOX series looking at the quality of democracy in South East Europe. The main questions for this first seminar are: has there been a slide into illiberalism or is this part of a long transition process? Are there common features and reasons for illiberal tendencies in these countries? What are the links -ideological and political- with developments in other European states beyond the region? Are illiberal tendencies reversible? The broader framework of the SEESOX seminar series on the quality of democracy will be on the different expressions of liberal and/or illiberal developments in the region and country specific, including elections, strong executive, media freedom, rule of law, party politics and social protests.