What is the Trouble with Democracy Today?

The last decade has catalyzed a growing debate over the prospects of democracy. Following the Great Financial Crash of 2008, a variety of countries have experienced signs of democratic backsliding. In particular, the rise of populism, majoritarianism and nationalism has led to the erosion of civil liberties, political transparency and the rule of law in many longstanding democracies, from Britain and India to the United States. The concentration of executive power, leading to crackdowns on formally autonomous institutions and civil society, have only grown worse in autocratic regimes such as Russia and the People’s Republic of China. Yet we have also seen important advances in many places, especially concerning elections, where open harassment of opposition parties and outright vote rigging have generally declined.

What are the key problems, challenges and threats that contemporary democracies face? Has the pandemic altered their trajectory? How should and can we respond?