Democracies in Decline, Pg 12

• Global Democratic Backsliding

• Closed autocracies have increased since the mid-2000s, with a major democratic decline observed in West Asia, North Africa, South Asia, and Central Europe.

• Liberal democracies are shrinking, while electoral autocracies are on the rise.

• Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America show mixed trends with electoral democracies maintaining some space.

• Trends are tracked using the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute, which evaluates freedom of expression, elections, and checks on executive power.

• India’s Democratic Erosion

• India is identified among nations with democratic decline, evidenced by weakening of institutions, rise in executive control, erosion of press freedom, and public approval for autocratic leaders.

• Press Freedom Index shows India dropped from 150 in 2022 to 161 in 2024 out of 180 countries surveyed by Reporters Without Borders.

• Public Perception & Autocracy

• Surveys show increasing global support for autocratic rule, especially in countries like India, Kenya, Mexico, Argentina, and Poland.

• Reasons include public disenchantment with the perceived inefficiency of democratic processes and demand for strong leaders unconstrained by courts or parliaments.

• In India, support for rule by a strong leader rose from 55% in 2017 to 67% in 2023.

• Global Trends by Region

• South Asia: Rising autocracy in countries like India.

• Europe & Central Asia: Backsliding in democratic practices.

• East Asia & Pacific: Mixed trends with significant autocratic presence.

• Latin America & Caribbean: Polarised democracies, still showing electoral resilience.

• West Asia & North Africa: Consistently low democratic representation.

• Analysis & Way Forward

• Democracies globally are facing internal legitimacy crises due to inequality, weak justice delivery, corruption, and manipulation of media.

• India needs to reinvest in democratic institutions, protect dissent, uphold electoral transparency, and preserve media freedom.

• A deeper public understanding of democracy’s values and checks-and-balances is essential to counter the populist lure of authoritarianism.

Mains Mock Question:

"Democratic backsliding is increasingly becoming a global phenomenon. Discuss the factors contributing to this trend with reference to India. Suggest measures to strengthen democratic institutions in such contexts."