The purpose of this study is to outline ancient cyclical concepts, their subsequent influence, and attempts to move beyond this logic, as well as to present the quasi-cyclical pattern that has gradually reemerged in political science literature from the 1980s to the present. In doing so, the paper focuses on the following issues: the collapse of democracies, transitions to democracy (or transitions from authoritarian rule), the challenges of democratic consolidation, backsliding, erosion, hybridization, and the parables of democracies. The study examines the role of populism in these changes. One of the most important questions from this perspective is whether, if populism does indeed contribute to the emergence of a cyclical pattern, it is possible to overcome this type of politics - that is, to break the cycle.
In his article, Attila Gábor Tóth based on Andrew Arato's constitutional thinking touches on two inseparable issues: the description of the undemocratic system and the assessment of the possibilities for changing the system.
Imre Szijártó's article examines the extent to which the policy and regime-cycles described by Karl Polányi might be present in Soviet-type societies such as the USSR and the People's Republic of Hungary. In both cases, there is a similar oscillation between reform attempts aimed at economic decentralization and limited markets, on the one hand, and the restoration of centralized command economies, on the other. These economic reform cycles tend to coincide with political reforms towards partial liberalization. The reform cycle eventually threatens the regime's stability and is either reversed or spirals into a regime cycle. The notable exception to this trend is the Chinese People's Republic, where the regime secured its political hegemony through the decoupling of political and economic reforms. The article shows that a modified version of the cyclical pattern described by Polányi is present in Soviet-type societies, although in these cases the "counter-movement" is motivated by the regime's narrow interests rather than society's general need for self-protection from the destructive tendencies of unconstrained market forces.
Róza Vajda and Márton Gerő ask Andrew Arató about his personal and intellectual history, combining discussions about theories and political processes, from Marxism to civil society, regime changes and constitution-making, from Easter Europe to the West, from Africa to Asia.
The roundtable, Constitutional Restoration: Lessons from the 2021-22 Debate and Challenges for the Future, revisits the 2021-2022 debate on constitutional restoration in Hungary and examines the legal, political, and moral dilemmas of a possible democratic transition from autocratic rule.
The roundtable, Civil Society and Democracy: Challenges and Prospects, examines the role of civil society in resisting authoritarianism and sustaining democratic institutions in Hungary. ■
Visszaugrás
