How is Democracy doing in a Comparative Perspective?

Abstract

Democracy is often said to be under pressure from large shares of citizens who have grown distrustful of politicians and institutions, expressing discontent with the performance of democratic government and, more generally, the democratic process in itself. Low, and in many cases decreasing, levels of trust in fundamental democratic institutions such as political parties and governments have for quite some time been observed all over the world, not least in the wake of the financial crisis. Growing anxiety about growing public discontent, and subsequently a crisis of legitimacy, seems to have become the dominant view in discussions about the state of contemporary democracy. Concern about the state and legitimacy of contemporary democracy has of course also been fuelled by recent events, such as the British “Brexit” vote and the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. Although the widespread discontent and distrust in the functioning of democracy and its institutions have been widely acknowledged, there is disagreement among scholars concerning the causes – and effects – of democratic discontent. Recent evidence from large-scale cross-national surveys points toward a somewhat contradictory situation. While many interpret available data as providing a picture of widespread public support for democracy around the world, others argue that support for democracy is declining and that increasing numbers of citizens are longing for non-democratic alternatives, such as strong leaders that do not have to bother with parliaments and elections. Recently, Roberto Stefan Foa and Yascha Mounk argued that we might be witnessing the start of a “deconsolidation” process, even in established Western democracies. At the same time, levels of public satisfaction with the way democracy works have for decades been increasing in several West European democracies, such as the Nordic countries and the Netherlands. This panel welcomes contributions that approach the somewhat ambiguous image of the state of democracy provided by recent research and debates. Papers may be more comparative and descriptive in character, mapping different aspects of representative democracy as viewed by citizens, or they may employ a more explanatory approach with the ambition to explain causes and effects of political support and trust in contemporary representative democracy in Europe and beyond.