The political economy of authoritarian neoliberalism in the Global South: The case of Modi and Bolsonaro

In the last quarter century, when the democratisation journey in the field of international relations scene was expected to be concluded, the emerging image shows us that this goal is being shifted away, which brings to mind the question of whether something went wrong. This thesis seeks answers to whether authoritarian tendencies have occurred due to the neo-liberalization movement initiated under the leadership of the USA and the UK, or, on the contrary; authoritarian characters have taken shelter behind neo-liberalisation policies and therefore authoritarian governments have increased. It is aimed at giving a lucid perception of the development in the field by presenting the theoretical and historical background of the concepts of authoritarianism and neoliberalism chronologically. In line with this objective, a comparative analysis was implemented to derive the most precise conclusions. For comparative analysis, India and Brazil were selected from two different geographies within the group of countries called the Global South. The neoliberal historical evolution of these two countries has been conveyed within the scope of the research to transfer chronological information; the main subject of comparison and analysis is the periods of the Narendra Modi and Jair Bolsonaro governments. The scopes of the research are determined by these periods and the definition of the Global South, and the data on other periods is only intended to inform about the historical progress. As the periods of power of the two presidents remain current (although Bolsonaro lost the elections, there are still inconclusive legal proceedings related to him), it became necessary to use up-to-date news sources at some points. As a result of the comparative analysis conducted in light of the historical and recent data studied, it was observed that authoritarian neoliberal policies can be easily shaped by the characteristics of the leaders. The analysis that neoliberal transformations feed and facilitate populist authoritarian discourses based on individuals emerges as remarkable data. In this context, it was emphasised that democratisation steps should be increased especially in countries with the potential for leader-based development and the separation of powers should be given due importance.