Why do party systems in new democracies often lean away from one side of the ideological spectrum? And how do parties tied to a discredited past navigate democratic politics? This talk explores how the ideological legacies of authoritarian regimes shape the structure of party competition. I show that parties avoid the dictator’s ideological side—not just in where they position themselves, but even in how they name themselves. Drawing on cross-national data and original survey experiments, I trace how stigma drives asymmetric fragmentation, ideological distortion, and strategic ambiguity in party branding. Together, these dynamics reveal how authoritarian pasts quietly but powerfully shape democratic choice.
Elias Dinas holds the Swiss Chair in Federalism, Democracy and International Governance. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the European University Institute (2010) and his research interests include the dynamics of political socialization, the downstream effects of institutional interventions and the legacy of authoritarian rule on the ideological predispositions of citizens in new democracies. He has also a keen interest in research methodology. His work has been published, among others, in the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and Political Analysis and mentioned in The Economist, the Atlantic and the New York Times.
Vassilis Monastiriotis is the Hellenic Observatory Centre Director, Eleftherios Venizelos Chair of Contemporary Greek Studies and Professor in Political Economy.
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