Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
How do cities fight democratic backsliding on the national level? Set in an increasingly illiberal context, the four Visegrád capitals (V4 capitals) Bratislava, Budapest, Prague and Warsaw have elected progressive mayors that challenge national democratic backsliding locally. The conceptual framework presented in this article underlies the role of city democracy and city diplomacy in understanding cities’ role in democratisation and autocratisation processes. As part of their resistance against democratic backsliding, the four cities intensified their attempts to enhance local democracy and to set best practice examples. At the same time, they have also shown a strong determination to address democratic backsliding collectively. Their proactive response includes the establishment of a regional transnational advocacy network (TAN) known as the Pact of Free Cities, and the further engagement with pro-democracy external actors, including other cities, the European Union, and international organisations.
Buzogány et al. (Thu,) studied this question.