The COVID-19 pandemic

One of the most popular public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic was the widespread use of lockdowns. The imposition of measures restricting basic civil liberties, such as the right to assemble or freedom of movement, impeded political participation and mobilization. Such restrictions aggravated already paramount concerns about democratic backsliding, both within hybrid regimes and established democracies. This entry discusses the overextension of executive authority and its impact on representation during the COVID-19 pandemic and the dynamics and tensions between centralization and the decentralization of representation. It offers insights into the impact of public health measures on the legitimacy of political institutions and trust in them. The main argument is that even in countries with strong democratic legacies and a record of civic engagement, COVID-19 had a profound effect on the quality of the democratic output, the trajectory of democratization processes and the emergence of democratic principles, values and norms in hybrid or authoritarian regimes.