Abstract
Abstract This research investigates how existing political and legal instruments can affect democratic power structures and civil society and examines prospects for their development. The article seeks to analyze current views and approaches related to negative campaigning, its sociopolitical perception, and countermeasures by looking at them through the lens of post‐Soviet countries and states within the Anglo‐Saxon legal tradition. Hence, the study views negative campaigning as a practice undermining democracy. We provide reliable evidence that Western nations are more likely to take a liberal approach to negative campaigning and assign it the role of a political struggle element. In addition, we found multiple confirmations that legislators in Russia have been toughening measures against negative campaigning and general defamation‐related rules. Related Articles Caillier, James. 2010. “Citizen Trust, Political Corruption, and Voting Behavior: Connecting the Dots.”Politics & Policy38(5): 1015–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2010.00267.x Craig, Stephen C., and Paulina S. Rippere. 2014. “Political Trust and Negative Campaigns: Two Tests of the Figure‐Ground Hypothesis.”Politics & Policy42(5): 693–743. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12091 Jones, David A., Kathleen Ferraiolo, and Jennifer Byrne. 2011. “Selective Media Exposure and Partisan Differences about Sarah Palin's Candidacy.”Politics & Policy39(2): 195–221. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.17471346.2011.00288.x