000			01469nam a2200169 4500
999			_c510170 _d510170
008			190802b ||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
100			_aTworzecki, Hubert _97637
245			_aPoland: a case of top-down polarization
260			_c2019
300			_ap.97-119.
520			_aPoland represents a surprising case of democratic backsliding since the return to power of the PiS party in 2015, given that positive conditions associated with democracy are present—consistent strong per capita economic growth since 1989, moderate inequality, rising wages, strong preference for democracy, high levels of happiness, and a parliamentary system with proportional representation. The lack of strong underlying cleavages indicates the polarization was not bottom up. Instead, this article argues that polarization was driven from the top down by a segment of the political class that donned the cloak of radical populist anti-establishmentarianism to gain popular support, win an election, and rewrite the constitutional rules of the game to its own benefit. The Polish case points to the importance of elite cues, and especially the pernicious consequences of system-delegitimizing rhetoric, creating distrust in the media and institutions. - Reproduced.
650			_aDemocracy _97638
650			_aPolarization _97639
773			_aThe Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
906			_aPoland - Politics and Government
942			_2ddc _cAR