<p>There is growing concern around the world about the state of liberal democracy. Although the extent of the threat to liberal democratic institutions and rule of law, and the actors responsible for this development vary between countries, right-wing authoritarian and libertarian populists are currently the most influential challengers to representative democracy in Europe, the Americas and parts of Asia. Where they take over the government, the institutions of liberal democracy as well as those of the modern administrative state are suffering. The mix of populist rhetoric and patrimonial practice is causing democratic backsliding and weakening the quality of public administrations. This development is particularly pronounced in prominent populist-patrimonial cases such as Hungary, Turkey and Venezuela. Similar developments can also be found elsewhere. This does not bode well for the regenerative capacity of liberal democracies or for the everyday lives of their citizens. Sooner or later, constitutional norms and electoral processes will hardly be able to survive if the patrimonial legitimacy of the new rulers begins to dominate the political arena and the newly created structures become entrenched. The interaction of populist rhetoric and patrimonial practice in the state and political arena also threatens to permanently weaken the political system’s ability to control and solve problems.</p>