International Linkage and Democratic Velocity: Nonlinear Attribution Evidence from a Neural Additive Model for Panel Data
This study employs a novel interpretable Neural Additive Model for Panel Data (NAM-PD) to demonstrate that institutional treaty depth is the dominant predictor of democratic backsliding with a universally negative impact, while diplomatic engagement uniquely promotes democratic gains, and other linkage factors like migration and foreign direct investment exhibit complex nonlinear or counterintuitive effects across 176 countries from 1995 to 2025.