Good Change: The Rise and Fall of Poland's Illiberal Revolution by Stanley Bill and Ben Stanley

Good Change provides an insightful analysis of recent political developments in Poland, with particular attention to the emergence and subsequent decline of illiberalism and democratic backsliding. Authors Stanley Bill and Ben Stanley adopt a nuanced approach, offering a comprehensive examination of the political, institutional, economic, and societal dynamics underpinning these processes. They also advance broader reflections on Polish democracy and its competing visions, as represented by the social–liberal cleavage, while identifying patterns that extend beyond Eastern Europe. Against the backdrop of global autocratization, the Polish case offers key insights into both democratic decline and the possibilities of democratic renewal. Overall, the book constitutes an excellent contribution to the literature and is highly engaging to read. However, two main criticisms can be identified. First, the analysis would benefit from deeper engagement with political ideology, particularly social conservatism and populism. A more sustained discussion of social conservatism would strengthen both the supply-side analysis and the examination of the social–liberal cleavage. Greater attention to the ideological foundations of Law and Justice (the Prawo i Sprawiedliwość [PiS] party) would also help clarify several of the book's central findings. For example, although the authors demonstrate that religiosity constitutes an important predictor of PiS's support, the connection between religiosity and party ideology remains underdeveloped. As a socially conservative party, PiS has maintained close ties with the Catholic Church, with its positions on moral issues strongly shaped by Catholic teaching. Moreover, social conservatism in the Polish context also has an economic dimension, reflected in PiS's dirigiste, solidaristic welfare approach, exemplified by the “500+” child benefit program. Similarly, although the authors discuss populism, the analysis would benefit from a systematic ideological engagement structured around the antagonistic distinction between “us versus them.” PiS frames politics through a dichotomy between “true” Poles tied to traditional, national, and religious values, and internal or external outgroups seen as enemies. While PiS combines right-wing populism with social and national conservatism, anti-immigration politics is not its defining ideological core. The book's own analysis more convincingly presents PiS as a socially conservative and national populist party. Although PiS includes a radical faction and occasionally adopts far-right rhetoric, this alone does not justify categorizing it as radical right.