In the latest episode of our special series produced in collaboration with the Journal of Democracy, Paolo Sosa-Villagarcia and Moisés Arce discuss the rise of legislative authoritarianism, compare it with more traditional forms of authoritarian rule, and explore its implications both in theory and in practice.
Drawing on their co-authored article with José Incio, “The Rise of Legislative Authoritarianism” (April 2025, Vol. 36, No. 2), Sosa-Villagarcia and Arce explain a phenomenon they observe mainly in Peru and Guatemala, where it is not the executive but rather the congress that concentrates power and restricts oversight by other branches in order to gain authoritarian control of the state apparatus. The conversation analyzes the roots and intentions behind these developments, considers whether Mexico under the seven-decade rule of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional in the last century exhibited similarities to this system, and finally addresses the question of whether judicial authoritarianism could also emerge.
Paolo Sosa-Villagarcia is a researcher at the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos and the 2024 HC2P Fellow at the Electoral Integrity Project.
Moisés Arce is Scott and Marjorie Cowen Chair in Latin American Social Sciences and professor of political science at Tulane University.
The conversation was conducted by Konstantin Kipp. Alina Young edited the audio file.
