As the world struggles with Covid-19, many democratic systems face a stress test like never before. It magnifies pre-existing trends and adds a whole new set of threats that may or may not prove to be durable. Yet it also offers new opportunities. Despite repression and a lack of resources, activists have emerged worldwide to fight for their causes. Protests for democracy in places as diverse as Belarus, Cuba, Eswatini, and Hong Kong have survived the pandemic, despite restrictions on assembly. And people remain deeply committed to the ideal of democracy. In a recent global poll 85 per cent said they considered their country to be either ‘fairly’ or ’very’ democratic.
The Global State of Democracy Indices (GSoD Indices) measure performance on democratic dimensions across 173 countries using a broad range of indicators. They aggregate specific measures of aspects of democracy into a hierarchical framework with four high-level categories: representation, rights, the rule of law and participation. They are based on a wide range of sources, including expert surveys, standards-based coding by research groups and analysts, and observational data.
The GSoD indices are not only an important source of information on the state of democracy, but they help to orient policies and aid efforts to counter erosion and revitalize democracies. This should focus on bolstering institutions that can constrain predatory powerholders and ensure that people have democratic access to crucial areas of their lives. At the same time it is essential to continue the expansion of globalization that empowers people to participate in governance of their societies and economies, transforming today’s intergovernmental organizations from ones controlled by nation-states into democratic global institutions in charge of some fields of common interest before later federating into a fully democratic world government.
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