The Accountability Dilemma: Experimental Evidence from Brazil’s Democratic Reckoning

Fernando Bizzarro
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Boston College

This lecture explores the "accountability dilemma" through the lens of Brazil’s legal reckoning with former President Jair Bolsonaro. Drawing on a survey of 5,800 citizens, the talk examines how holding illiberal leaders accountable can successfully erode their public support while simultaneously triggering a volatile backlash against democratic institutions. These findings offer a sobering look at the complex trade-offs required to repair a democracy within a highly polarized society.

Fernando Bizzarro is assistant professor of political science at Boston College whose research focuses on the nature, causes, and consequences of democracy and political parties, with a substantive emphasis on Latin America. He earned his PhD from Harvard University in 2023 and previously held a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University.