DEN ULTIMATA TÄCKMANTELN FÖR NEDMONTERING AV DEMOKRATIN En kvantitativ studie om coronapandemins konsekvenser för demokratiutveckling

Abstract

Violations of democratic standards and use of emergency power to curb the Covid-19 pandemic, has become routine for many of the world's countries during 2020. Excessive use of emergency powers or limiting media freedoms means that Covid-19 could potentially pose a threat to democracies worldwide. An accumulation of smaller actions of democratic backsliding rather than massive revolutions seem to slip under democratic radars – is Covid-19 the perfect camouflage for such measures? Drawing upon the rapidly expanding literature in the area, this study argues for the link between how the impact of extensive cases in Covid-19 in a state has caused increasing violations of democratic standards. The study tests the relationship between Covid-19 and violations towards democratic standards using regression analysis. However, the study finds no empirical evidence that the number of cases of Covid-19 (per capita) correlates with violations towards democratic standards. Instead, states with high as well as low numbers of cases has violated democratic standards during the Covid-19 pandemic, indicating that future research possibly might find evidence that states has been using Covid-19 as a legitimate cover for autocratic processes.