Global Challenges to Democracy

The 21^st Century has witnessed a growing decline of democracy and rise of authoritarianism around the globe. Democratic institutions, ways of life, and the rule of law are being systemically subverted. Electoral processes themselves are increasingly being used to diminish respect for the rule of law and to advance autocratic rule. A politics of fear has given rise to polarisation, discrimination, marginalisation and xenophobia. Institutional fragility and declining confidence in social conventions, checks and balances have become widespread. The concept of truth itself is under attack.

The Toda Peace Institute’s programme on Global Challenges to Democracy:

• engages with leading thinkers and institutes from around the world who are researching and writing about these phenomena.
• promotes the activation of civil society actors who are committed to democratic process and accountability while advancing the dignity of all people.

In its early stages the project has launched:

• an international working group of leading democracy scholars and practitioners.
• a systems mapping project to identify interlocking factors contributing to the erosion of democracy and entry points for strategic interventions.
• a study group focused on defending Indian democracy and.
• the Democracy Lighthouse, a comprehensive depository of various materials about the hundreds of organisations and networks worldwide engaged in protecting and rejuvenating the spirit and substance of democracy. 
• A research cluster studying effective strategies for promoting democratic resilience.

A series of public conversations with international democracy scholars and activists can be accessed here and relevant reports and policy briefs here.

Researchers and writers who would like to write for the Toda Peace Institute on these themes should reach out to Olivia Stokes Dreier at olivia@karunacenter.org.

Public Conversations

Stephan Haggard (UC San Diego) and Robert R. Kaufman (Rutgers) introduce their book Backsliding: Democratic Regress in the Modern World, explain the concept of backsliding in relation to democratic government, and the way that they selected the 16 cases studies covered in the book. In conversation with Kevin Clements and Paula Green. The conversation is in five parts.

Timothy Snyder (Yale University) and Nora Krug (Parsons School of Design) explain the inspiration behind the illustrated edition of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. They discuss factors that contribute to the rise of tyranny: a widely felt sense of approaching doom largely caused by climate change, the stupefying inequality of wealth, and social media’s appeal to our lowest instincts. In conversation with Kevin Clements and Paula Green. The conversation is in four parts. 

Lydia Khalil (Lowy Institute), author of Rise of the Extreme Right: The New Global Extremism and the Threat to Democracy, explains the term right-wing extremism and its salient features. She discusses the structural factors which have led to a huge increase in right-wing extremism since 2016. 

Gina Gustavsson (Uppsala University and Nuffield College), author of Liberal Nationalism and Its Critics: Normative and Empirical Questions, discusses the recent electoral success of the Sweden Democratic Party, and what this means for Swedish social democracy and its welfare state. 

Debasish Roy Chowdhury and John Keane, authors of To Kill a Democracy: India’s Passage to Despotism discuss their views of India under Prime Minister Modi, and the prospects for Indian democracy. Download the transcript here.

Ed Garcia - teacher, a nonviolence advocate and social movement leader from the Philippines - discusses his life's work as an advocate for public participation in decision making processes and his radical commitment to the poor, the weakest and most vulnerable.

India Roundtable - five India experts discuss the positive and negative consequences of the 2024 India election result.