Global trends and impact of democratic recession: Hard choices for the Global South

Abstract

Globally, democratisation momentum has shown a decline in the last two decades. This article contributes to the existing knowledge on the significance of democracy noting its intrinsic, instrumental, and constructive value, and how democratic recession tends to negate these values. The article identifies deep-seated structural drivers and above-the-surface superstructural triggers of democratic recession, highlighting their trends, manifestations, and impact. It advances the discourse by arguing that, while democratic recession has a discernible global reach and impact, its profound salience in the Global South is its distinctive interface with the limits/inadequacy of liberal democracy in place. The article identifies two critical repercussions of the interface between democratic recession and the inadequacy of liberal democracy, namely a strained state-society social contract and enfeebled social cohesion. In redressing democratic recession, the Global South is confronted with hard choices either to maintain the status quo, reform or transform the liberal democratic model.