Co-sponsored by the Center for German and European Studies, the Comparative Politics Colloquium, and CREECA.
About the Lecture: Is autocracy contagious? The connections between the world’s autocrats, and political actors in eroding democracies, suggest that this is the case. Putin’s support for the far-right in Europe and the links between Hungary’s Fidesz and other political parties point to an “illiberal international” at work, including in the United States. This lecture examines where such autocratic diffusion exists, how it might undermine democracy, and what limits it faces.
About the Speaker: Anna Grzymala-Busse is the Michelle and Kevin Douglas Professor of International Studies in the Department of Political Science at Stanford University, the Director of the Europe Center, and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute. Her research focuses on the historical development of the state and its transformation, political parties, religion and politics, and post-communist politics. Other areas of interest include populism, informal institutions, and causal mechanisms. She is also the author of four books: Redeeming the Communist Past: The Regeneration of Communist Successor Parties; Rebuilding Leviathan: Party Competition and State Development in Post-Communist Europe; Nations Under God: How Churches Use Moral Authority to Influence Politics and Sacred Foundations; The Religious and Medieval Roots of the European State. She is also a recipient of the Carnegie and Guggenheim Fellowships.