Research Interests

American Politics, Public Opinion, Political Behavior,  Conceptions of Democracy, Democratic Backsliding, Normative Democratic Theory (particularly, Operationalizing Normative Theory for Empirical Measurement), Political Communication, State Politics, Citizen Competence, Civic Education, Modeling Group Differences, Mixed-Method Research

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Ahn, Seongjoon and Nam-kook Kim. 2019. "Popularizing Grief: Tragedies and Tragic Events in Ancient Athens." The Korean Review of Political Thought 25(2): 9 - 38. (PDF)

• Abstract: This paper develops an alternative perspective on the political role of grief in a democratic context and how it can be conceptualized for empirical operationalization. Against previous literature’s focus on grief as a singular means for the elites to manipulate the masses, we suggest that grief possesses various traits that each take part in stimulating the masses to certain political reactions. By cross-analyzing Sophocles’ Antigone and Thucydides’ accounts of Pericles’ Funeral Oration, we explore how the democratic citizenry has been triggered into reactionary political behaviors through grief. Specifically, this study asserts that the emotion of grief contains two political traits – contagiousness and antagonism – that when triggered simultaneously, excite reactionary political movements from the masses.

• Key Words: populism, emotion, grief, conceptualizing and operationalizing theory for empirical research, political movements

Working Papers

Ahn, Seongjoon. "Mapping the Spectrum of Conceptions of Democracy in the United States." (PDF)
Funded by the Rapoport Family Foundation & Institute for Humane Studies | Supported by the Civic Health and Institutions Project

• Abstract: In what ways do conceptions of democracy differ among Americans? Both the participants of the January 6th Attack on the Capitol and the general public point to “saving the democracy” as a driving motivation. To assess and articulate the apparent contradiction, I develop an original measurement framework that measures individual-level conceptions of democracy as aggregated conceptual constructs composed of individual preferences and opinions on six distinct value dimensions. Next, I test and assess the framework using two empirical strategies: exploratory Q-methodology complemented with in-depth interviews (N = 27) and an original, state-level representative survey of the American public (N = 25,902). I find that 1) five different conceptions of democracy compete within the American public, 2) the division cuts across traditional sociopolitical cleavages, and 3) certain conceptions deviate from the more conventionally accepted understanding of democracy. My findings suggest that democracy is understood as a multidimensional concept and people hold distinct and sometimes contradicting composite conceptions of democracy. Furthermore, they imply that conflicting conceptions of democracy may help explain the conflicting behaviors of small-d democrats.

• Key Words: conceptions of democracy, democratic backsliding, conceptualizing and operationalizing theory for empirical research, American public opinion, modeling group differences, mixed-method research

Ahn, Seongjoon and Jeong-ho Choi. "Democratic Backsliding as Political Information: How the News Media Transforms its Portrayal of Democracy Over Time." (Under Review) (PDF)

• Abstract: Over the past few decades, American discourse on democracy has presented a dramatic transformation from a reigning doctrine for the world to a system crumbling from within. While research on both the phenomenon of democratic backsliding and the public’s attitudes towards it has gained significant traction, the question of how the phenomenon has reached the public as political information requires further examination. This study contributes to the lively discourse by investigating the linkage between the phenomenon and the attitude. Specifically, we ask when and how the news media changes the way it portrays democracy. We argue that the news media’s framing of democracy changes over time, and significant shifts in framing occur after critical political events. To test the arguments, we develop a theoretical framework for examining how the news media communicates the quality of democracy to the public as political information in the American context. We create a dictionary of various conceptions of democracy using the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) typologies. We test the framework using state-of-the-art word embedding techniques on original New York Times op-ed data ranging from 2000 to 2021 (n=179,500) and two in-depth case studies. We find that the New York Times op-ed section has exhibited a gradual and significant shift in its portrayal of democracy over time, weakening the image of democracy as a liberal, freedom- and rights-granting enterprise and strengthening the image of democracy as a competitive, majoritarian, and elitist enterprise. We also find that our two cases – the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security and the election of Donald Trump in 2016 – significantly realign which dimensions of democracy get emphasized. Overall, we show that the news media translates political phenomena into varying images of democracy over time for its audiences.

• Key Words: conceptions of democracy, democratic backsliding, media effects, media framing, word embedding, text analysis

Work-in-Progress

Ahn, Seongjoon. "United We Stand, Divided We Aspire: Variations in Conceptions of Democracy Across 50 U.S. States"
Supported by the Civic Health and Institutions Project

• Abstract: American states are inequivalent. Competing cultures, norms, rules, geographies, and histories ground the lives of their people. This study extends the research on cross-state differences by unearthing an underexplored cleavage that divides the states and their people: ways in which people conceive of democracy. I use latent class analysis to investigate the varying conceptions of democracy resonating among American citizens and underscore their patterns of variation across the 50 American states. I conduct a multilevel analysis on original survey data (n = 25,902) containing representative samples from all 50 states to explicate the relationship between national- and state-level contexts and individual democratic conceptions. Next, I examine how cross-state variation in conceptions of democracy poses an underexplored yet significant political cleavage useful for predicting various political variables.

• Key Words: conceptions of democracy, state politics, political culture, modeling group differences, mixed method research

Ahn, Seongjoon. "What Does Democracy Mean When My Neighbors Don't Like It: Two Cases in East Asia"
Supported by the University of Illinois Constantine W. Curris Award

• Abstract: Recent studies have repeatedly shown that people within and across societies hold varying, and often incommensurate, conceptions of democracy. An important and underexplored assumption in these studies is that public opinion on democracy operates in isolation from foreign influence. However, in countries bordering non-democratic neighbors, variations in conceptions of democracy may drive or be driven by citizens’ perceptions of the politics of the neighboring countries. Two clear examples of such foreign influence are exhibited in Taiwan and South Korea – democratic countries facing unification and ethnic issues with prominent non-democratic neighbors – the People’s Republic of China and North Korea, respectively. In this paper, I use two methodologies to explore the democratic conceptions resonant in the two societies and how the presence of their non-democratic neighbors influences the composition of conceptions in the societies. First, using regional barometer data, I explore latent variables that drive the variations in conceptions of democracy and examine the attitudes of the members of different latent classes toward their non-democratic neighbors. Second, I conduct field research to explore the salience and meaning of the found latent variables to the two publics. In all, I show that the division of conceptions of democracy among the two publics can, in large part, be explained by the presence of their non-democratic neighbors.

• Key Words: conceptions of democracy, authoritarian neighbor, East Asia, mixed-method research,

Ahn, Seongjoon. "Danger Past, Values Forgotten: Shifting Conceptions of Democracy in Election Seasons"

• Abstract: Despite the mounting concerns over the erosion of democracy in America, many citizens continue to support democracy as the best mode of governance. However, recent studies have found that high aggregate support for democracy does not necessarily translate to a healthy democracy because people hold different and volatile conceptions of democracy. For instance, supporters of election winners and losers drastically change what they mean by democracy according to the result of an election. In this study, I explore how individuals’ conception of democracy changes before and after the 2024 Presidential Election using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. Using a novel theoretical framework for measuring individual conceptions of democracy, I examine the pre- and post-election change in conceptions of democracy. I test the existing claims that one’s conception of democracy is largely dictated by partisan-motivated reasoning.

• Key Words: conceptions of democracy, presidential election, motivated reasoning, partisan polarization, event study 

Choi, Jeongho and Seongjoon Ahn. "Beyond the "Losers of Globalization": Unpacking Socioeconomic Diversity in European Populist Support

• Abstract: Recent studies on populism emphasize the role of group identity in voting, often framed around the "winners" and "losers of globalization." Despite growing interest in defining these groups, previous research has not fully explored how various socioeconomic factors interact to shape these identities. This study examines how these factors combine to influence group identities and populist voting patterns in Europe. Using European Social Survey data (2002–2020) and latent class analysis, we identify distinct socioeconomic groups and their propensity to support populist parties. Our findings reveal that the socioeconomic backgrounds of populist voters are more diverse than predicted by the "losers of globalization" thesis. This suggests that populist support in Europe is less tied to objective socioeconomic vulnerability to globalization and more associated with subjective perceptions of being "losers," likely shaped by populist rhetoric. This research provides a nuanced understanding of the socioeconomic bases of populist support, challenging simplistic narratives about the drivers of populism. Our results underscore the crucial role of populist politicians in creating a unified group identity among voters from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, highlighting the need for further research into the mechanisms behind this identity formation.

• Key Words: populism, European politics, losers of globalization, modeling group differences

Jang, Dokyoung and Seongjoon Ahn. "Unchecked Drift: A Comparative Study on Executive Aggrandizement and Its Impact on Democratic Decline"

• Abstract: Democratic backsliding is often driven by efforts of elected leaders to weaken institutional checks on their authority. Recent scholarship has primarily examined the general erosion of democratic institutions and their connection to elite behavior. This project builds on this research by identifying a specific mechanism through which the concentration of presidential power disrupts institutional balance and erodes democratic quality. Focusing on executive aggrandizement—the consolidation of presidential authority at the expense of other government branches—the study argues that as presidents gain greater control over appointments and nomination processes, the legislative branch’s capacity to serve as an effective check diminishes. This, in turn, enables presidents to exert greater influence over legislative selections. Through a comparative analysis of presidential systems in the United States, South Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Botswana, the study leverages an original dataset on executive aggrandizement from 2010 to 2023. Using a fixed-effects logit model, it investigates the relationship between expanded presidential appointment powers and democratic backsliding. Ultimately, this research illustrates how the consolidation of presidential power not only undermines democratic quality but also serves as a pivotal driver of political system transformation.

• Key Words: democratic backsliding, executive aggrandizement, presidentialism, checks and balances

Ahn, Seongjoon and Rhea Dcosta. "Remnants of Hierarchy: Nostalgia for Social Hierarchy and Attitudes Toward Democracy in India"

• Key Words: public opinion, democratic attitude, Indian politics, social stratification