Why are 'free and fair' elections so often followed by democratic backsliding? Elections in Hard Times answers this critical question, showing why even clean elections fail to advance democracy when held amidst challenging structural conditions. It develops a new theory of why elections fail in countries with little democratic history or fiscal resources, and a history of violent conflict.

Authors

Thomas Edward Flores
Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution and Political Science, George Mason University and Co-Author, Elections in Hard Times

Irfan Nooruddin
Director, Georgetown University's India Initiative, former Wilson Center Fellow and Co-Author, Elections in Hard Times

Discussant

William J. Pomeranz
Deputy Director, Kennan Institute, Wilson Center