The Global State of Democracy Indexes
Democracy is about the freedoms and rights of all citizens, including their right to vote for the people they want to make decisions on their behalf. Democracy also means that those elected to govern must be held accountable for their actions. It also means that those who disagree must be able to freely express their views and ideas, both in public and privately. The freedom of movement of people and goods is another essential part of democracy, as are the principles of equality – that everyone is treated equally under the law and that no one can be discriminated against on the basis of their race, religion or ethnicity.
The world’s democracies are facing many challenges. Some have experienced electoral setbacks that call into question their legitimacy. Others face growing threats from global forces that can undermine their stability, such as polarisation, the rise of demagogues, and changing economic and technological trends. And even in the United States — which has long been seen as a model of liberal democracy — large segments of the population feel that their rights are not being protected or their government is not listening to them.
What does a healthy democracy look like? And how do we measure it? The answer to the latter question lies in the global State of Democracy Indices, a series of quantitative benchmarks that allow rigorous and comparable comparisons of the state of democracy around the world, both from year to year and between countries.
They provide a tool to help governments, journalists, academics and citizens understand the health of their democracy and how it compares to other democracies. They enable us to identify when democratic processes are being eroded or threatened, and to take action to strengthen them.
There is always room to improve the “people” element of democracy, through increasing its responsiveness to citizens’ concerns and needs; there is also room to improve the “power” or “will” element of democracy by giving people more real power over their own lives. Both are essential to democracy’s continued survival and progress.
When we survey citizens in the countries that make up our Global State of Democracy Indexes, they tell us what matters most to them. Some of the most common concerns include a belief that politicians are not listening to their views, that politicians are corrupt or taking advantage of them, and that there is too much money in politics. Other popular concerns are that voters are not being properly informed before casting their ballots and that the political system itself needs to be changed.
Throughout our work on democracy, we have seen that no democracy is without its flaws. But the fact that democracy is the only form of government that has been proven to be the most effective at addressing the challenges of our times shows how important it remains. It is up to all of us — in our government, journalism, and civil society — to safeguard it from the forces that would erode or threaten it.
Democracy is about the freedoms and rights of all citizens, including their right to vote for the people they want to make decisions on their behalf. Democracy also means that those elected to govern must be held accountable for their actions. It also means that those who disagree must be able to freely express their views and ideas, both in public and privately. The freedom of movement of people and goods is another essential part of democracy, as are the principles of equality – that everyone is treated equally under the law and that no one can be discriminated against on the basis of their race, religion or ethnicity. The world’s democracies are facing many challenges. Some have experienced electoral setbacks that call into question their legitimacy. Others face growing threats from global forces that can undermine their stability, such as polarisation, the rise of demagogues, and changing economic and technological trends. And even in the United States — which has long been seen as a model of liberal democracy — large segments of the population feel that their rights are not being protected or their government is not listening to them. What does a healthy democracy look like? And how do we measure it? The answer to the latter question lies in the global State of Democracy Indices, a series of quantitative benchmarks that allow rigorous and comparable comparisons of the state of democracy around the world, both from year to year and between countries. They provide a tool to help governments, journalists, academics and citizens understand the health of their democracy and how it compares to other democracies. They enable us to identify when democratic processes are being eroded or threatened, and to take action to strengthen them. There is always room to improve the “people” element of democracy, through increasing its responsiveness to citizens’ concerns and needs; there is also room to improve the “power” or “will” element of democracy by giving people more real power over their own lives. Both are essential to democracy’s continued survival and progress. When we survey citizens in the countries that make up our Global State of Democracy Indexes, they tell us what matters most to them. Some of the most common concerns include a belief that politicians are not listening to their views, that politicians are corrupt or taking advantage of them, and that there is too much money in politics. Other popular concerns are that voters are not being properly informed before casting their ballots and that the political system itself needs to be changed. Throughout our work on democracy, we have seen that no democracy is without its flaws. But the fact that democracy is the only form of government that has been proven to be the most effective at addressing the challenges of our times shows how important it remains. It is up to all of us — in our government, journalism, and civil society — to safeguard it from the forces that would erode or threaten it.