The crisis of liberal democracy is clearly visible today, manifesting itself, inter alia, in the declining interest of citizens in participating in elections; the disappearance, or at least weakening, of the traditional axis of social conflict between labour and capital; the growing importance of populism; attacks on democratic institutions; and the efforts of leaders in many countries to centralize power. Across the globe, anti-establishment, anti-system, anti-elite and populist sentiments are on the rise, accompanied by the increasing prominence of anti-democratic parties. This volume aims to identify universal mechanisms of de-democratization using the example of Poland, by searching for reliable indicators of these processes. The authors examine and analyse the weakening of democratic institutions, the limitation of civil liberties, and the growth of authoritarian tendencies and political polarization, seeking out indicators of de-democratization phenomena in the legal-institutional, political-social and economic spheres, while also looking into actions that strengthen and protect de-democratization, which take place in the symbolic, social, political and economic domains.
The authors thus seek to expand the existing analyses of de-democratization processes in a volume which will be of great use to those researching and studying democracy, the rule of law, contemporary politics and de-democratization in Poland and beyond.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: the birth and decline of democracy in Central Europe 1 De-democratization: the Essence of the Process 2 State and Elites as Subjects of De-democratization: the Case of Poland 3 Procedures for Appointing Constitutional Tribunal Judges as a Means for the De-democratization of Poland's Political System 4 The Process of De-democratization of the Judiciary in Poland in 2015–23 in the Context of the National Council of the Judiciary 5 Judicial Reform and Institutional Change in Poland: Legal and Governance Perspectives, 2015–23 6 From Economic Liberalism to State-led Capitalism: the Expanding Role of the State in Enterprise Governance 7 The Reconfiguration of Ownership: State Participation and Structural Change in Poland’s Banking Sector in the Post-2015 Era 8 Society's Dependence on Social Benefits as a Hidden Economic Process of De-democratization 9 Human Rights Violations in the Process of De-democratization in Poland, 2015–23 10 Changes in Migration Law after 2015 as an Element of the De-democratization Phenomenon in Poland 11 De-democratization Processes in Local Government 12 Civil Society's Responses to Democratic Erosion 13 Shrinking Civic Space: Legal and Political Strategies to Suppress Civil Society. Poland under extreme right-wing rule, 2015–23. Summary: De-democratization Processes. Lessons from Poland.
About the Author :
Grzegorz Foryś is a sociologist, political scientist and professor at the Institute of Law, Economics, and Administration of the University of the National Education Commission in Kraków, Poland. He specializes in the sociology of social change, the sociology of politics, the sociology of social movements and democracy. His works include, among others: The Dynamics of Contention: Farmers' Protests in the Third Polish Republic (2008); Agritourism Farms and Associations in Poland: In Search of a Social Movement (2017); Politics, Society, and the Economy in Contemporary Poland (2016); Development as a Social Movement (2023) and several dozen articles published in Polish and international publishing houses.
