# Why Voters Support Politicians Who Undermine Democracy

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-political-science-408770/why-voters-support-politicians-who-undermine-democracy
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-political-science-408770/why-voters-support-politicians-who-undermine-democracy.md
Podcast: [New Books in Political Science](https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-political-science-408770)
Published: 2026-09-14T08:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://newbooksnetwork.com
Audio file: https://injector.simplecastaudio.com/7743b695-b4cd-4c21-acde-c1a69915e314/episodes/bcf91301-88ac-4dc1-a2bc-84906ccb0bac/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=7743b695-b4cd-4c21-acde-c1a69915e314&awEpisodeId=bcf91301-88ac-4dc1-a2bc-84906ccb0bac&awSourceEpisodeId=9735f1d0-3b79-45dd-9d9a-f39d0465e108&feed=6sq2TaYn
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-political-science-408770/episodes/why-voters-support-politicians-who-undermine-democracy
Duration seconds: 2066

## Resource

Why do so many citizens continue to support politicians who undermine democracy? And why have nationalist appeals become such a powerful tool for democratic backsliding? In this episode of the People, Power, Politics podcast, Nic Cheeseman talks to Filip Milačić about his new book, Abandoning Democracy for the Nation (Cambridge UP, 2026). Drawing on evidence from Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Israel and Turkey, Milačić argues that democratic erosion is often driven not simply by populism or polarization, but by political leaders convincing citizens that the nation itself is under threat. The discussion explores why democratically minded voters sometimes accept attacks on democratic institutions, whether this argument travels beyond the cases in the book, and what lessons it offers for those seeking to defend democracy.

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## Transcript

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