Over the past two decades, the trust and expectations that accompanied the expansion of the liberal democratic model around the world at the end of the last century have undergone a significant decline. The crisis of the liberal democratic model and the consolidation of authoritarian systems in the global political and economic order have shaped much of the recent political science literature, focusing the debate on the causes and mechanisms of democratic backsliding, a concept that identifies phenomena of erosion and regression of the characteristics traditionally associated with democratic regimes. This article first offers some necessary theoretical, conceptual, and methodological clarifications on aspects often taken for granted in research in this discipline. Subsequently, three emerging research directions potentially relevant to understanding the mechanisms that can trigger, fuel, and exacerbate these erosive processes will be explored: the impact of digital platforms on the transformation of the information ecosystem and political debate, the influence of economic elites, and the role of political language in discursive strategies aimed at delegitimizing the norms and institutions that characterize the democratic process. The paper also argues for the opportunities of using these dimensions in synergy with the integrated approach widespread in recent literature, proposing methodological strategies that allow us to delve deeper into these processes towards a greater understanding of the contemporary dynamics of democratic erosion.
