How networks of influential individuals helped destroy one of the world’s most durable democracies and legitimise a racist, authoritarian state | VOX, CEPR Policy Portal https://voxeu.org/article/how-networks-influential-individuals-helped-destroy-one-world-s-most-durable-democracies-and-legitimise-racist#.YASFyjRyAM0.twitter
How networks of influential individuals helped destroy one of the

The events at the US Capitol earlier this month echo important moments in history where rioters protesting the state include former veterans and political heroes. This column uses novel evidence on

https://voxeu.org/article/how-networks-influential-individuals-helped-destroy-one-world-s-most-durable-democracies-and-legitimise-racist#.YASFyjRyAM0.twitter
We provide a counterpoint to recent political developments, including the storming of the US Capitol, using novel evidence on 95,314 extreme right-wing supporters and Nazi collaborators in France, which experienced intense polarization in the 1930s and 1940s.
We show how democratic values can be undermined by exogenous networks of influential individuals, including heroes. Heroes are specially positioned to widen the `Overton Window’ and legitimize views previously considered deeply repugnant.
Social networks of individuals sharing such an identity can transmit and reinforce this influence, leading to escalating commitments that entrench political positions and make debiasing more difficult.
However, heroes can and do also use their legitimacy to strengthen democracy. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/01/14/vets-clean-up-capitol-seige/
The column is based upon our working paper with @CageJulia , Anna Dagorret and Pauline Grosjean: Heroes and Villains: https://web.stanford.edu/~saumitra/papers/Heroes.pdf
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