DEMOCRACIES UNDER STRAIN

UPSC Relevance

• GS-2: Polity & International Relations – Democracy, Electoral Systems, Global Political Trends
• GS-4: Ethics – Democratic Values, Accountability, Political Integrity

Key Points: Global Democratic Decline

• Closed autocracies have risen since the mid-2000s, with notable democratic backsliding in West Asia, North Africa, South Asia, and Central Europe.
• Liberal democracies are declining, while electoral autocracies are increasing.
• Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America show mixed trends, with some electoral democracies persisting.
• Data comes from the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute, assessing freedom of expression, elections, and executive checks.

India’s Democratic Challenges

• India is among countries experiencing democratic erosion, marked by weakened institutions, increased executive dominance, declining press freedom, and growing public support for autocratic leadership.
• The Press Freedom Index shows India’s rank dropping from 150 in 2022 to 161 in 2024 out of 180 nations.

Public Sentiment & Autocracy

• Global surveys indicate rising support for autocratic rule in countries like India, Kenya, Mexico, Argentina, and Poland.
• In India, support for a strong leader grew from 55% in 2017 to 67% in 2023.
• Causes include frustration with democratic inefficiencies and a desire for unconstrained leadership.

Regional Trends

• South Asia: Increasing autocratic tendencies, including in India.
• Europe & Central Asia: Decline in democratic practices.
• East Asia & Pacific: Mixed democratic and autocratic trends.
• Latin America & Caribbean: Polarized but resilient electoral democracies.
• West Asia & North Africa: Persistent low democratic representation.

Analysis & Path Forward

• Democracies face legitimacy crises due to inequality, weak justice systems, corruption, and media manipulation.
• India must strengthen democratic institutions, protect dissent, ensure electoral transparency, and promote media freedom.
• Fostering public understanding of democratic values and checks-and-balances is key to countering authoritarian appeal.