CURA Colloquium "Precarious Tolerance in Nascent Democracies"

With Youssef Chouhoud, Assistant Professor, Political Science, Christopher Newport University Were there early warning signs of Tunisia's recent authoritarian turn? Using original survey and experimental data, this study examines the structure of Tunisian political tolerance in 2017 and 2019 for ex ante indications of the political upheaval that has gripped the country since July 2021. Highlighting elite-mass divides in tolerance levels and the malleability of these attitudes, I argue that these metrics can signal a public’s susceptibility to demagoguery and, in turn, democratic backsliding. *Reading the paper in advance is required for attendance. Email arleneb@bu.edu for your copy.