Are Democracies at threat? Analyzing the Democracy Index 2023

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The world’s (almost) eight billion people live in various political and cultural environments. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Democracy Index study for this year is one such attempt to assign a score to nations based on how closely they live up to democratic principles. The annual survey, which ranks the state of democracy in 167 countries based on five criteria-electoral processes and pluralism, government functioning, political participation, democratic political culture, and civil liberties—discovers that more than a third of the world’s population is subject to authoritarian rule, while only 6.4% enjoy full democracy.

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The indications are combined to give each category a 0 to 10 rating, and the five category scores are summed to get the overall index score. Full democracies are countries with a total Democracy Index score between 8.01 and 10 (out of 10). Those with a score of 6.01 to 8.00 are categorized as imperfect democracies.  According to the EIU, democracy is at its lowest since the index’s inception in 2006. This may be partly attributed to pandemic limitations that saw many governments struggle to combine public health with personal freedom. According to the 2023 assessment, Norway is the most democratic, while Afghanistan is the least.

The Global State of Democracy Report

In this year’s report, the EIU recorded a reduction in the average global score from 5.37 to 5.28, the worst dip since the global financial crisis in 2010. This translates into a depressing statistic: only 46% of the population lives in a democracy “of some sort“. The Global State of Democracy Report” arrives at a time when democracy is attacked literally and metaphorically worldwide. Beyond the lingering pandemic, today’s wars, and a coming global recession, there is the problem of climate change and all that it entails—severe weather occurrences, the required green transition, and multi-faceted ramifications for democratic government.

Rising extremism contributes to hostilities between the government and its subjects.

The recent string of global crises, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in Ethiopia, Myanmar, Syria, and Yemen, and their ramifications, appear to herald the emergence of a new status quo marked by extreme volatility and uncertainty rather than a departure from previous historical trends. Against such a backdrop, this article will try to portray an overall scenario of democracy worldwide.

South Asian Democracy 

According to the survey issued by the UK-based Economist Intelligence, the South Asian nation received a score of 5.99 out of 10 in 2022, unchanged from the previous year. Thailand improved its overall score the most in 2022, rising from 6.04 in 2021 to 6.67 in 2022. According to the Index, Bangladesh has increased from 75th in 2021 to 73rd in 2022 with a score of 5.99, which puts it on the verge of entering the category of ‘flawed democracies’ (6.0 and above), where the United States ranks 30th and Singapore ranks first. Bangladesh ranks 15th out of many states in the Asia-Australasia area. Bangladesh has the highest regional average outside of North America and Europe. When Bangladesh is compared to several nations in South and Southeast Asia, it is clear that the country has made great progress toward establishing a democratic society. According to the research, Bangladesh is ahead of Pakistan, Nepal, and Bhutan.

Protest to restore democracy in Myanmar.

Global Scenario of Democracy 

In 2022, the average worldwide index score remained stable. Despite predictions of a resurgence when pandemic-related limitations were lifted, the score remained nearly similar, at 5.29 (on a 0-10 scale), compared to 5.28 in 2021. Over half of the countries examined by the index saw their rankings stagnate or fall. Western Europe was a positive anomaly since it was the only area where the score had recovered to pre-pandemic levels. The Global State of Democracy’s latest findings reveals a decline in and stagnation of democracy. A close look at the data shows that while many democracies have established the laws and infrastructure required to support democratic institutions, unequal access to those institutions is a serious and continuing problem.

Picture Credits @ EIU- ( Economic Intelligence Unit).

In 2021, 37% of the world’s population was still under authoritarian rule. Afghanistan is at the top of the list, followed by Myanmar, North Korea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Syria. Of course, a large proportion of the Chinese people live under this type of government. On the opposite end of the scale, complete democracies account for only 6.4% of the population. This ranking is led by Norway, followed by New Zealand, Finland, Sweden, and Iceland. North America (Canada and the United States) is the top-ranked region in the Democracy Index, with an average score of 8.36. However, this has fallen slightly from 8.58 in 2020. However, both nations have lost ground in the world rankings; nonetheless, Canada remains a top performer.

Gerrymandering

The United States is still classed as a flawed democracy by the EIU and has been since 2016. The research highlights significant division and “gerrymandering” as major concerns confronting the country. Latin America and the Caribbean saw the greatest drop in regional scores globally. This region’s GDP fell from 6.09 billion in 2020 to 5.83 billion in 2021. This drop reflects the general public’s dissatisfaction with how their governments handled the outbreak. Costa Rica and Uruguay are the two countries in this area that are fully democratic. Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba are classified as authoritarian regimes on the opposite end of the scale.

Authoritarian tendencies and attempts of Coup are threats to democracies worldwide.

Authoritarian Regimes

Western Europe will have the most complete democracies in the world by 2021. This area has four top-five full democracies: Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Iceland. In this region, Spain suffered a significant deterioration; the country is now seen as a defective democracy. A significant change occurred in the Middle East and Central Asia. This area is home to a large number of nations with authoritarian governments. Indeed, the region’s total democracy score is worse than before the Arab Spring began in 2010. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest number of nations at the bottom of the Democracy Index. The reality is that 23 countries are deemed “authoritarian regimes”. Meanwhile, 14 nations are hybrid regimes, six are imperfect democracies, and just one country, Mauritius, is considered a genuine democracy.

Hence, global democracy is declining two years after the virus ravaged the planet. Every region’s worldwide score fell except for Western Europe, which stayed unchanged. Of the 167 countries, 74 (44%) saw their democracy score fall.

Democratic Fallacy: What future looks Like? 

The ability of democracies worldwide to provide critical public goods to their citizens and narrow the gap between societal expectations and institutional performance is under threat. These difficult problems existed even before democracies faced the grotesque imbalances within and between nations exposed by the epidemic and the subsequent inflation, shortages, and risks of a worldwide economic crisis. This graph illustrates both the total number of democracies and their status.

Picture Credits @ IDEA (International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance)- Global State of Democracy 2022.

According to the most recent data, democracy is in decline, compounding a decade defined by more degradation than democratization. Several political and economic instability sources exist, such as rising food and energy prices, soaring inflation, and an imminent recession. Democracy appears to be evolving in a way that does not reflect rapidly changing needs and objectives. Even in democracies operating at a medium or high level, there is minimal improvement assessment, and the globe is far behind in developing democratic societies. 

Despite this, the West has maintained its hegemony in the global order. Likewise, highly developed and some former colonial powers have been unable to turn their governments into fully-fledged democracies. Another finding in the paper is that certain stable democracies and long-standing democracies lost their positions between 2021 and 2022. Australia, for example, dropped six places, South Korea eight, Israel six, the United States four, Italy three, Brazil four, and Singapore four. It may be claimed that these nations have seen an increase in ultranationalist politics. In these countries, political culture and the function of government are being questioned.

Trends in Bangladesh

Bangladesh demonstrated great success in foreign policy, economics, environment, and agriculture, thanks to more than a decade of political stability, a suitable political environment for economic activities, and the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. However, Bangladesh earned just 6.07 in this component, which must be at a higher level that might improve its position and move it to the next category of an imperfect democracy. Another interesting fact is that Bangladesh is not one of the 110 countries invited to US President Joe Biden’s virtual Summit for Democracy, revealing that the west is undermining Bangladesh’s democratic journey. 

The world is at a critical crossroads. Democracies are fading or stagnating in the face of a constantly changing global situation. Even previously regarded ‘established’ democracies have weaknesses that cannot be overlooked. Hence, democratic regimes must establish a persuasive argument for their ability to provide what people require.

About the Author

Saume Saptaparna Nath is a research associate at the KRF Center for Bangladesh and Global Affairs. She has done her graduation and post-graduation from the Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka. Her research interests are maritime security, environmental security, strategic Study, refugees, East Asian Affairs and theories of International Relations.  

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