Contemporary Models of the Crisis of Democracy: Critical Overview Through a Demand and Supply Framework

Abstract

Analysed within the framework of supply and demand, contemporary models of the crisis of democracy could be divided into two broad types: supply-based and demand-based models. The supply-based theories interpret the crisis as the government’s failure to deliver economic growth, the failure of the state to come up with proper welfare policies or the failure of representative institutions to gain public trust. The demand-based models of the crisis of democracy suggest that the crisis arises because the public has unrealistically high expectations of the government or for exactly the opposite reasons, namely that people are apathetic and do not demand enough from the incumbents. It is the differences between the emphasis on supply and demand, and the way supply and demand are defined that sets these models apart.