Project information
Prosecutors under Political Pressure: Prosecutorial Agency in Times of Democratic Decline and Recovery (PANDORA)

The quality of democracy is crumbling worldwide. Prosecutors play a key role in this process as they can make or break public support in democratic governance. They face a dilemma though, as they must respect a special accountability-loyalty relationship with the elected executive but also avoid political partisanship and adhere to the rule of law. They can fight corruption and prevent state capture. But they can also serve ruling politicians by prosecuting political opponents or allowing political impunity. Existing literature is court-centric. It tells us little about how prosecutors respond to autocratic practices and why. Their motivations and the effects of their actions on democracy are thus not yet fully understood. PANDORA fills this gap and addresses the role of prosecutors in democracy in 4 Visegrad countries. Its central research question is: What factors affect prosecutorial resilience to autocratic practices during democratic backsliding, democratic recovery and democratic stability? PANDORA’s ultimate aim is to provide a novel theory of prosecutorial resilience.