Layton Co-Authors Washington Post Column on Brazil’s President

Dr. Matthew Layton

Dr. Matthew Layton, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Ohio University, co-authored a column in the Washington Post headlined “Brazil’s president is rallying his base — so that he can expand his power.”

In the column, Layton and co-authors explain how their research finds that voters may encourage democratically elected leaders to undermine democracy.

…Instead, events in Brazil, along with the recent dismissal of five Supreme Court justices in El Salvador, reveal that the most serious threats to democracy in the region come from elected presidents who flaunt checks and balances that limit their power. Where do they get their support? Our research in Brazil explains how Latin Americans have empowered presidents with authoritarian ambitions.

Read the column in the Washington Post.