Talk:
“Affective Polarization and Democratic Erosion: The Role of Electoral Accountability”
by
Selim Erdem Aytaç
Koç University
saytac@ku.edu.tr
Date and Room Info
Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 12:30 p.m.
A-130
Abstract
Democratic backsliding has become a global concern, and affective polarization is widely seen as a key driver. Yet evidence remains inconclusive: observational studies reveal strong correlations, but experimental interventions reducing polarization have failed to strengthen democratic attitudes. We revisit this question by distinguishing between two pathways through which polarization may undermine democracy: eroding citizens’ democratic values (attitudinal) or weakening their willingness to punish norm-violating politicians (accountability). Drawing on a population-based survey experiment in Turkey, we test both pathways. We find that reducing affective polarization does not alter support for democratic principles but significantly increases citizens’ willingness to punish norm-violating politicians. These effects hold across government and opposition supporters and are robust to different types of violations. Our results provide experimental evidence of a causal link between affective polarization and democratic erosion, suggesting that partisan animosity may undermine democracy primarily by weakening electoral accountability rather than eroding democratic values.
Short Bio
Selim Erdem Aytaç is an associate professor in the Department of International Relations at Koç University. Dr. Aytaç’s research interests lie in political behavior with a focus on electoral accountability, political participation, polarization, and democratic erosion. He is the coauthor (with Susan Stokes) of Why Bother? Rethinking Participation in Elections and Protests published by Cambridge University Press in 2019. Dr. Aytaç serves as the Principle Investigator of the ERC project “DEPOLARIZE” from 2023 to 2028.