When Places Lose People: The Democratic Consequences of Demographic Decline

Demographic decline and regional disparities are key challenges for the quality and resilience of democracies in Europe. Focusing on left-behind places, peripheralization and democratic quality this paper explores how local institutions in shrinking and ageing regions experience and respond to social, economic and political marginalization. Using the German–Czech borderlands, an area which is characterized by population loss, industrial restructuring and limited political visibility, as its case, the study examines how demographic and spatial inequalities influence democracy, e.g. perceptions of governance, participation and trust in governance. The paper draws on qualitative interviews conducted with local actors on both sides of the border during a cross-border project seminar. The findings suggest a multidimensional process of local democratic erosion. Shrinking communities face declining civic participation and limited institutional capacity. At the same time, however, they develop adaptive practices of (cross-border) cooperation and local resilience.