Zsófia Papp's and Godfred Bonnah Nkansah's latest study in East European Politics examines how democratic norm violations during emergencies affect perceptions of democratic quality.

Using a conjoint experiment with 1,000 Hungarian respondents, it tests tolerance for restrictions on accountability and civil liberties under varying health and economic conditions. Findings show that output legitimacy – especially pandemic effectiveness and economic performance – strongly influences democratic evaluations. However, tolerance for norm violations is conditional: freedoms of speech and assembly remain inalienable, while others are negotiable in crises.

These results underscore the fragility of democratic support in backsliding regimes, highlighting the trade-offs citizens may accept between procedural integrity and effective governance.

The full study is available here.