1. Introduction Part 1: Concepts, Approaches and Measurements 2. Rethinking Democratic Subversion 3. Conceptualizing autocratization 4. Measuring autocratization 5. Identifying episodes of autocratization Part 2: Structures and Institutions 6. Economic development and autocratization 7. Inequality and autocratization 8. Social classes and autocratization 9. Past legacies and autocratization 10. Polarization and autocratization 11. Ideological modules of autocratization 12. Elections and autocratization 13. Autocratization and the three faces of judicial power 14. Autocratization by legal means in weak presidential democracies 15. The Internet and autocratization 16. Subnational dimensions of autocratization 17. The international order and autocratization Part 3: Actors 18. International actors and autocratization 19. Parties, government leaders, and autocratization 20. Populism and autocratization 21. Religious actors and autocratization 22. Civil society and autocratization 23. Economic actors and autocratization 24. The Military and autocratization Part 4: Consequences and Impact 25. Autocratization and development 26. Administrative backsliding 27. Autocratization and health outcomes 28. Autocratization and gender politics 29. Autocratization and environmental performance 30. Autocratization and ethnic relations 31. Autocratization and political conflict Part 5: Regional Perspectives 32. Western Europe 33. Central and Eastern Europe 34. Western Balkans 35. Post-Soviet States 36. Latin America 37. Middle East and North Africa 38. Sub-Saharan Africa 39. East and Southeast Asia 40. South Asia

“This ambitious collection succeeds at marrying breadth and depth. In addition to offering countless insights on the structures, actors, history, geography, and consequences of autocratization, it sets a compelling agenda for future research. Anyone seeking to understand autocratization will benefit from reading this handbook.”Nancy Bermeo, Oxford University, UK“Authoritarianism, autocratization, backsliding: these concepts have defined a wide-ranging and fecund research agenda. This collection gathers thoughtful essays by a 'who’s who' in the study of autocratization. The volume is organized in a particularly useful way, considering questions of conceptualization, measurement, and the causes as well as effects of backsliding and authoritarian regress. An added benefit is a cluster of essays that review the phenomenon through a regional lens, capturing nuances we can miss taking a global approach. An important and well-timed collection that surveys the most pressing political problem of our time.”Stephan Haggard, University of California San Diego, USA