Democracy Contested

<p dir="ltr">What has shifted us towards a more autocratic, rather than democratic, world?</p><p dir="ltr">While there is nothing new about a politically divided citizenry, the current state of democracy strongly calls for an analysis of the diverse motivations of citizens to vote for leaders and parties that have promised outright they would undo democratic institutions.</p><p dir="ltr">The articles in this issue of the <i>IDS Bulletin</i> look at how people engage with democracy – their basis for voting for certain leaders. The authors discuss the ideas and narratives that underlie the expectations citizens have of what these leaders would deliver in terms of redistribution to enhance the welfare and the recognition of their rights as the voting citizens, at the repudiation of the rights of others.</p><p dir="ltr">Democracy works where checks and balances through political, institutional, and social accountability institutions work. In liberal democracies, the judiciary is the first line of defence, but when autocrats come to power, they swiftly move to undermine an independent judiciary, concentrate powers in the hands of the executive, and constrain the media and other important freedoms. The contributions in this <i>IDS Bulletin</i> highlight how this has unfolded in the US, India, the Philippines, Brazil, and across parts of Africa and Europe. In turn, they also provide insights into what can be done to halt and reverse these dynamics and address feelings of discontent by those who feel left behind by a lack of redistribution. How can left-wing and other political parties that aim to uphold inclusive democratic values reconnect with the constituencies they lost to parties with autocratic tendencies?</p>