Conceptualising democratic resilience: a minimalist account

Abstract

The aim of this article is to contribute in two respects to the evolving research agenda focused on the problem of democratic resilience. First, we attempt to provide several clarifications regarding the general concept of ‘democratic resilience’, in the course of which we both assess a number of accounts offered thus far and discuss some difficulties raised by elements of its most attractive articulation. Second, we outline a specific conception of democratic resilience framed on minimalist grounds and designed so as to be compatible with a wide range of descriptive and normative models of democracy. Aside from the conceptual and analytical value of these contributions, we also point to their practical relevance for both empirical assessments and for the normative and applied-level evaluation of democratic institutions and their performance.