Populism and the Erosion of Democracy in Poland and Hungary

After the collapse of communism in 1989, Hungary and Poland were among the leaders in enacting reforms; they were the first to embrace democracy and to pursue free markets. Yet in the last decade, voters in both Hungary and Poland have elected governments that have attacked liberal democracy by stacking the courts, stifling the free media, barring immigration, and pursuing other self-serving policies. What happened? Professor Anna Grzymala-Busse examines the roots and consequences of the erosion of democracy and why both of these nations have taken this path.
Anna Grzymala-Busse is the Michelle and Kevin Douglas Professor of International Studies in the Political Science department, a Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and the Director of the Europe Center, all at Stanford University. A native of Poland, she has studied post-communist politics in Central and Eastern Europe. She earned her PhD in Government from Harvard University.