Populist autocratization and populist electoral autocracies: towards a unified conceptual framework

Abstract Although the research subjects of populism and autocratization studies are interconnected, the full potential of combining their focuses—the dynamic elements of political systems and institutional dimensions—into a comprehensive and systematic conceptual framework remains underexploited. This study makes a stride in this direction by reviewing and connecting these areas through the concepts of populist autocratization and populist electoral autocracies. These concepts aim to deepen our understanding of the nature of contemporary autocratization and the stability of autocracies. While the study is primarily theoretical-conceptual in nature, it also engages with methodological and operationalization considerations, and outlines a brief research agenda to demonstrate the empirical applicability of the analytical framework and lays the foundation for future research.