GÜTERSLOH, GERMANY – Newsaktuell – March 19, 2024 – During the early years of the RTC, almost 20 years ago, democracies around the world faced much less pressure. Today, nearly a third of the 137 countries surveyed by the BTI have the lowest levels of opportunities for political participation ever recorded by the BTI. In the past two years alone, elections in 25 countries have been less free and less fair, while rights of assembly and association in 32 states have been increasingly restricted and freedom of expression in 39 country has been subject to reinforced controls. This gradual erosion of democracy can pave the way for the establishment of authoritarian rule, a trend illustrated by the cases of Bangladesh, Mozambique and Turkey.
However, there are still democracies capable of resisting pressure. The Baltic states along with Taiwan, South Korea, Costa Rica, Chile and Uruguay demonstrate how successful transformation can be achieved. Firmly anchored in the rule of law, governance in these states emphasizes strategic priorities, participatory processes and inclusion. It thus produces strong results in the areas of education, health care, infrastructure and living standards, which, in turn, strengthen democracy as a whole.
To counteract the erosion of democracy, institutions and oversight mechanisms such as the judiciary, parliament and the media are essential. Free and (partially) fair elections brought changes in some countries in East-Central and South-Eastern Europe, such as Czechia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland and Slovenia, as well as in Latin America, such as Brazil, Guatemala and Honduras. “Authoritarian tendencies can be stopped at the ballot box,” says Hauke Hartmann, senior expert at the Bertelsmann Stiftung. “This requires mobilization of civil society before the elections and a return to the rule of law after the elections.”
Civil society matters
In the defense of democracy, the resilience of civil society constitutes a crucial bastion. Recent examples from Brazil, Kenya and Zambia highlight the central role that civil society plays in ensuring fair elections and maintaining their integrity, often in collaboration with electoral authorities or constitutional courts. Similarly, in Poland and Sri Lanka, successful mobilization efforts helped safeguard civil and social rights. These examples highlight the importance of uniting street activism with institutional checks on government power to effectively resist authoritarian tendencies. Strengthening and safeguarding these civic forces and institutions constitute essential strategies for strengthening democracy. Encouragingly, recent BTI assessments indicate that interest group cooperation and civil society’s self-organizing capacities remain strong.
Good governance remains difficult to achieve, particularly in autocracies
Despite authoritarian leaders’ claims that their states are governed more effectively than democracies through streamlined decision-making processes, the BTI’s latest findings suggest otherwise. In fact, the report finds that at the bottom of the efficiency scale are 45 regimes rife with disorganization and corruption, from Cambodia to Venezuela to Zimbabwe, almost all of which are ruled with one hand. of iron. Although some autocratic regimes demonstrate effective governance, they constitute a rare exception.
The extent to which the quality of democracy and good governance are closely linked, particularly with regard to consensus building, cannot be overemphasized. In 80 countries, the capacity and willingness to foster consensus has declined over the past decade, representing the most significant setback in good governance. “In many cases, governments have neglected efforts to cultivate societal consensus for too long. Continuous dialogue and inclusion in decision-making processes are not weaknesses but strengths of democratic governance,” says Sabine Donner , senior expert at the Bertelsmann Stiftung. “Good policymaking remains one of the most effective responses to authoritarian challenges.”
Further information:
Since 2006, the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index (BTI) has analyzed and evaluated the quality of democracy, economic performance and governance worldwide every two years. The current sample includes 137 developing and transforming countries. The evaluation is based on the qualitative contributions provided by comprehensive national reports which in total exceed 5,000 pages. These reports are the result of a collaborative process involving nearly 300 experts from leading universities and think tanks in more than 120 countries. The review period for the current edition runs from February 1, 2021 to January 31, 2023. The BTI is the only international comparative index that measures the quality of governance using data collected by the project itself and which offers a complete analysis of the role of political steering functions in transformation processes.
About the Bertelsmann Stiftung: Inspiring people. Glimpse the future.
The Bertelsmann Stiftung is committed to ensuring that everyone in society can participate in political, economic and cultural life. Our programs include education and the next generation, democracy and social cohesion, digitalization and the common good, the future of Europe, health and sustainable social market economies. In our work, we focus on people because they are the drivers of change and can make the world a better place. We share knowledge, promote expertise and develop solutions. A non-profit foundation, the Bertelsmann Stiftung was founded in 1977 by Reinhard Mohn.
For more information, please visit: www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
