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The Deep Impact of Economic Collapse on Democratic Support

What is democracy? To many citizens of post-Soviet countries it is synonymous with the disorder, instability, chaos, and hardship that was widespread throughout the 1990s. Importantly, these beliefs have been remarkably durable despite the subsequent economic recovery. While strong majorities remain supportive of democracy, the dynamics of transition have resulted in a subpopulation that is quite skeptical of democracy’s ability to deliver on its promises, a fact that has important implications for future regime development in these countries. The present article combines qualitative interview data and nationally-representative surveys of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Latvia to explore the long-term consequences of economic collapse on beliefs about democracy and dictatorship among citizens of the post-Soviet states.