Delegative democratic attitudes: Theory and evidence from the Asian barometer survey

This paper analyzes the factors influencing whether individuals have delegative democratic attitudes (i.e. supporting strong executive power with little oversight from the legislature). Roughly up to 50% of voters in East Asia have delegative democratic attitudes, which are known to undermine democratic governance in new democracies. Understanding delegative democratic attitudes is thus closely linked to the question of why delegative democracy persists. Our theoretical analysis suggests that delegative democratic attitudes are associated with low support for democracy, a perception of the strong influence of interest groups on policy, and trust in a national leader who can counter the power of interest groups. Using Asian Barometer Survey data from East Asian countries, 2001–2011, we confirm the hypotheses. Our findings imply that transforming a delegative democracy into a consolidated democracy requires promoting support for democracy and preventing interest group dominance over public policy