Methodology
Understand our Analytic Framework for Categorizing Democratic Erosion Events
The key to the DEED methodology is deciding which events are related to erosion and then classifying them into meaningful categories. DEED classifies events into four types: events that often precede democratic erosion (precursors) from those that constitute erosion itself (symptoms) and those that counteract erosion once it has already begun (resistance), and for autocratic countries, events that undermine the stability of an autocratic regime (destabilizing).
Within these four event types, we also categorize events as relating to vertical accountability, meaning between the government and citizens, or horizontal accountability, meaning between different government agencies and officials.
Precursor
Events that often precede democratic erosion
Threats to Horizontal Accountability
- Delegitimizing or Weakening the Judiciary
- Delegitimizing or Weakening the Legislature
- Delegitimizing or Weakening Subnational Units
- Manipulation of Civil Service or Integrity Institutions
- Horizontal Corruption
- Electoral Boycott
- Opposition Alliance Hedging
- Rejecting Election Results
Threats to Vertical Accountability
- Co-optation of the Opposition
- Malapportionment
- Electoral Fraud and Voter Suppression
- Electoral Violence
- Increasing Control over Civil Society
- State-Conducted Violence or Abuse
- Ethno-Religious Tensions
- Overstayed Welcome
- Media Bias
- Co-optation of Citizens
- No-Confidence Votes or Decreased Voter Turnout
- Rhetorical Attacks against Democracy or Accountability Institutions
- Democratic Facade
- Lack of Legitimacy
- Extremist/Populist Parties
- Party Weakness
- Vertical Corruption
- Civil War/Revolution
- Increased Surveillance
Exogenous Risk Factors
- Non-state Violence
- Refugee Crisis
- External Influence or Invasion
- External Shocks (Economic, Health, Natural Disasters)
- Regional Unrest Spillover
- Border Disputes
Symptom
Reduction in Horizontal Accountability
- Reduction in Judicial Independence
- Reduction in Legislative Oversight
- Weakened Civil Service or Integrity Institutions
- Suspension of Laws or the Constitution
- Revision of the Constitution
- Reducing Autonomy of Subnational Units
- Creation of Parallel Structures
- Purging of Elites
Reduction in Vertical Accountability
- Repression of the Opposition
- Systemic Reduction in Election Freedom and Fairness
- Systemic Electoral Violence
- Curtailed Civil Liberties
- Media Repression
- Relaxation of Term Limits
- Forced/Coerced Exile
- Discrimination against Minorities
- Systematic Violence against Minorities or Ethnic Cleansing
- Politicization of the Education System
- State-controlled Media
- Militarization of Civilian Governance
- Anti-Democratic Mobilization
Destabilizing Events
Domestic Factors
- Elite Infighting
- Non-state Violence
- Challenge from Extremist/Populist factions
- Rejecting Election Results
- Coup or Regime Collapse
- Civil War/ Revolution
- Economic Reforms
Exogenous Factors
- Refugee Crisis
- External Influence or Invasion
- External Shocks (Economics, Health, Natural Disasters)
- Regional Unrest Spillover
Resistance
Increase in Horizontal Accountability
- Check on Executive by Judiciary
- Check on Executive by Legislature
- Check on Central power by Subnational Units
- Check on Central Power by Civil Service
- Transition to a Democratic Constitution
Increase in Vertical Accountability
- Transfer of Power from Authoritarian Leaders
- Coalitions or Elite Pacts
- Increase in Electoral Integrity
- Increase in Civic Capacity
- Nonviolent Protest
- Violent Protest
- Increase in Media Protection or Media Liberalization
- Increase in Organized Opposition
- Increase in Civil Liberties
Other
- Pressure from Outside Actor
- Exit of People or Capital Flight
- State Attempts at Democratization or to Prevent Backsliding
CODEBOOK
DEED Codebook
Download our codebook to access detailed information about how we code events in the dataset and our variables including country, month, year, event type, event category, event description, and source.
Overview to Identifying and Coding DEED Events
DEED follows a two-step process for identifying and coding events:
First, DEED coders review key sources of qualitative data including student-written case studies following a standardized template produced in the Democratic Erosion university course, and Freedom House annual reports.
Second, coders use the detailed DEED codebook to convert these qualitative narratives into quantitative data, while maintaining rich event descriptions and corresponding sources for further qualitative information.