Future Of Democracy Research Articles

Geographic Tunnel Vision and the Past and Future of Democracy

Abstract In the twenty-first century, the democracy bequeathed by the past confronts major, diverse challenges. In thinking about how it might be reimagined, it is important to look beyond conceptions of democracy that are associated with a distinctive Western tradition, indicated at an early point by Athens two and a half millennia ago. Recent scholarship has questioned some clear connection of that specific ancient experience with the democracy that has developed since the late eighteenth century, challenging in several ways what might be called “epistemic exclusion.” One challenge concerns a long debate about Athenian uniqueness. A second concerns how the founding generation of modern democracy thought about, or did not think about, Athenian practices. A third concerns whether a broader geography of influence has infused the entire modern history of democracy in which much innovation has happened in peripheral places in hierarchies of wealth and power. These reflections have implications for where to look for good ideas to construct a better democratic future.

Peningkatan Peran Pemilih Pemula dalam Penyelenggaran Pemilihan Kepala Daerah Tahun 2024

On November 27 2024, regional head elections will be held simultaneously. In the Indonesian political system, this is the first simultaneous election. In this election, based on the voter list, many novice voters were involved, namely those who were involved in voting for the first time. New voters are the future of democracy in Indonesia. Therefore, their involvement in elections is encouraged more than just voting but also being involved as election organizers. This is very important for competency development and network expansion in the future. This activity is an outreach regarding registration as an election organizer. The participants in this activity were ITSKKes Muhammadiyah Selong students. As a result of this activity, students were enthusiastic in understanding the voter registration process.

The Fragility of Democracy: Political Conflict in South Asia

The complex interplay between political conflict and democratic fragility in South Asia is the focus of this research paper. The study examines South Asia to understand how conflict catalyzes and hinders democratic progress. The research delves deep into the root causes of conflict, including socio-economic disparities, ethnic and religious tensions, and institutional weaknesses. It analyzes how conflict can trigger democratic reforms through popular mobilization and erode governance and institutions. The study highlights the fragility of democratic systems in the face of deep-rooted conflicts and the challenges of balancing competing interests. It underscores the need for South Asian nations to address underlying grievances to strengthen democratic institutions and foster inclusive dialogue to navigate conflict constructively and secure a stable democratic future. The research employs a qualitative approach, relying on a comprehensive literature review and case study analysis to draw insights into the multifaceted relationship between political conflict and democratic development in the selected region.

Surveillance, Disinformation, and Legislative Measures in the 21st Century: AI, Social Media, and the Future of Democracies

In contemporary society, the internet, particularly social media, has become a significant area where individuals spend considerable amounts of time engaging in various activities. Concurrently, the growing utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a critical component of the propaganda that is disseminated online within economic, social, and political spheres. AI encompasses a broad range of applications, including data collection for microtargeting and the dissemination of diverse forms of disinformation. Additionally, AI can be effectively employed to detect and remove content from social media platforms that contradicts democratic principles, such as disinformation or hate speech. This study reviews the existing literature on the use of AI in political propaganda, examining not only how AI has become an integral part of propaganda strategies, but also how it is utilized to counter propaganda that violates democratic values. It explores the legislation in various countries that enables (and mandates) the removal of propaganda content contrary to democratic principles from social media platforms with the assistance of AI, and it discusses perspectives that highlight the potential conflict between these practices and the principle of freedom of expression.

“America fractured?“ The present and future of democracy, ideology and party system in the United States

The politics of the United States, both internal and external, and the analysis of its historiosophic foundations, topical subjects, trends and prospects of development have occupied a special place in the Russian school of international relations. On the one hand, interest in this topic has always been determined by its applied nature: for most of the 20th century, the USA was the main adversary of the USSR, and today the relations between the two countries are in a state of systemic confrontation, albeit of a different kind. On the other hand, with its history, economics, culture, ideology and politics, the USA as an experimental state and laboratory society has always been a field of scientific research and an object of intellectual reflection for researchers of all socio-humanitarian disciplines. All these works reveal different facets of American reality, but for Russian Americanists among historians and political scientists, those that allow them to find a key to understanding the driving forces of American politics and to forecast its development are especially valuable. The interview with leading Russian Historian-Americanist Dr. V.O. Pechatnov is an attempt to understand these key issues.

Elections 2024, hybrid regimes and the future of democracy in Pakistan

Elections 2024, hybrid regimes and the future of democracy in Pakistan

Rethinking Australian democracy as a deliberative system

This paper examines the relationship between Australia’s Indigenous and settler colonial systems of democracy through the lens of deliberative systems theory. It suggests that the ongoing effects of colonialism have rendered Indigenous democracy largely invisible causing a harmful divide in Australia’s democracies. A pluralist conception of democracy is necessary to understand the disconnect between the two systems, evidenced by a striking absence of literature on Australian Indigenous democracy. In response, this paper first theorizes a conceptual framework of a concurrent deliberative system, then describes the Indigenous deliberative system and the colonial system’s efforts to eliminate Indigenous democracy. Against this theoretical and empirical background, it considers whether the recent referendum for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament was just a colonial legacy or represented a pathway towards a shared postcolonial democratic future.

Theatre of the Absurd, Pre-Election Matters and the Future of Democracy in Nigeria: Reflections on APC V Machina

The practice of theatre of the absurd is more present and popular with politicians in Africa than with playwrights. Particularly in Nigeria, the grotesque images and ridiculousness in the utterances of those saddled with the responsibilities of governance can only be viewed as characters in any known absurdist’ play. Nigeria is a nascent democracy, and the 2023 general elections are fraught with inadequacies right from the moment of selection of party candidates through the election proper. Candidates, political parties executives and the court have engineered these inadequacies. The concern of court being the last hope of common man, is on the administration of justice as perceived by parties involved in a case and the society. Therefore, a flawed judgment can only serve to dampen the peoples’ belief in the sanctity of the judiciary. On 28th May 2022, Bashir Machina contested and won the All Progressive Congress’s Yobe North Senatorial primary election unopposed, and in June the same year, the political party submitted the name of Ahmad Lawan to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its candidate for the main election into the Senate. In the ensuing litigation, both lower court and court of appeal affirmed the authentic candidacy of Machina, however, the Supreme Court in its judgment, affirmed Ahmad Lawan as the APC candidate for the election to the Senate. It is against this background that this study examines APC v Machina and argued that in this particular case, justice has been perceived not to have been done by the large segment of the society based on the peoples reaction in the media. We conclude that the five justices of the Supreme Court with divided resolution of three against two, and other participants in the litigation, merely represent different characters of an absurd drama fit only for the stage.

The Future of Democracy in the Digital Era: Internet Shutdowns, Cyber Laws and Online Surveillance in Zimbabwe

The Future of Democracy in the Digital Era: Internet Shutdowns, Cyber Laws and Online Surveillance in Zimbabwe

Tragic Myth of America’s 2021 “March on Rome”

The parallels between the January 6th, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and the so-called “March on Rome” of October 1922, are unmistakable, from Donald Trump and Benito Mussolini’s leadership styles to their non-participation in the actual coup attempts to the unwavering commitment of their most zealous followers to the respective causes. Indeed, comparisons between these two figures and events have led scholars to refer to the events on January 6th as a “Half-Baked March on Rome” or an “abortive March on Rome,” among other similar references. While historically convenient and rhetorically appealing, however, these associations risk downplaying the requisite conditions that allowed the March on Rome to result in a successful coup but which never manifested in the buildup to January 6th or its actualization. Moreover, referring to January 6th within the context of the March on Rome minimizes the distinct possibility that the former was but the precursor to an eventual triumphant American iteration of the March on Rome. By using the March on Rome as a conduit through which to examine the January 6th, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, this paper seeks to properly place the latter within the context of significant revolutionary events of the past and thereby explore its role in the broader arc of American democracy's future.

Crafting Democratic Futures: Understanding Political Conditions and Racialized Attitudes Toward Black Reparations

Crafting Democratic Futures: Understanding Political Conditions and Racialized Attitudes Toward Black Reparations

Commissioned Book Review: Fathali M Moghaddam, Political Plasticity: The Future of Democracy and Dictatorship

Commissioned Book Review: Fathali M Moghaddam, <i>Political Plasticity: The Future of Democracy and Dictatorship</i>

Diasporic Democratic Futures

The Algerian diaspora mobilized massively to support the 2019 peaceful uprising known as the Hirak. In so doing, Algerians from abroad contributed to collective performances of citizenship and civility that redefined political subjectivities in both their country of origin and their host country. This article studies the experience of activists based in Tunis, Paris and the Bay Area. Drawing on the works of theorists of radical democracy such as Chantal Mouffe and Bonnie Honig, it shows the way in which diasporic citizens supporting a revolutionary movement challenge traditional statehood and interrogates the limits of their subversive political practices. It emphasizes three aspects of this transnational mobilization: the contradictory dynamics of deterritorialization and reterritorialization, the constitution of agonistic arenas, and the emergence of new modes of subjectivation.

Geosocietal Support for Democracy: Survey Evidence from Ukraine

We examine why public support for democracy in Ukraine increased after Russia’s 2014 intervention and surged after Russia’s 2022 invasion—despite concerns that the wartime quest for security would diminish support for political freedoms. We statistically analyze original data generated as part of annual opinion surveys by the Institute of Sociology at Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences in 2017 (N = 2,199), 2018 (N = 1,800), and a 2021–22 panel survey with the same respondents (N = 475) interviewed before and after Russia’s invasion. Our findings indicate that wartime support for democracy is in significant respects geosocietal—arising from the mobilization of civic national identity conditioned by salient geopolitical threats. Civic pride, attribution of threat to an external authoritarian aggressor, and war onset were the strongest and most robust predictors of multiple democracy support indicators, overriding personal loss and stress. The findings call for more attention to the interaction of geopolitical and social contexts shaping political attitudes, with implications for democratic futures globally.

Critical Inquiry in and Against 21st-Century Authoritarian Times

This paper forwards critical inquiry as a tool for hope against authoritarian movements in American public higher education. We utilize a speculative case study approach to interrogate the present moment, with its rising tide of authoritarian fascism in the United States and its manifestations in higher education. Rather than viewing this case (and its analogue) as solvable, we orient to it as a predicament. After introducing the problem of authoritarianism in higher education and presenting a speculative case rendering of it, we shift to explore three critical theories: queer theory, futures studies, and speculative feminisms. We use each of these theories to reorient the predicament the case study presents. To read the case with these theories enacts critical anticipatory practices, offering new questions by which to teach and inquire with critical theory in our present fascistic moment. Such enactments spark hope for imagining participatory democratic futures.

Locating Our Role in the Struggle: Lessons from the Past and Present on Teachers’ Persistence, Solidarity, and Activism for the Common Good

The recent onslaught of educational censorship measures is the latest and most extreme manifestation of the perennial struggle over curriculum and politics in schools. Lessons from past and present teacher resistance, solidarity, and activism can inspire and galvanize teachers in this moment within the long struggle for educational justice. This article describes three orientations that may help teachers avoid self-censorship and take action: teachers as classroom-level judges, teachers as part of a collective, and teachers as historical actors. We also present reflective questions that can help teachers identify supports available to them and actions they can take in light of their particular contexts. Our hope is that these tools for thinking about the role of the teacher and taking action will offer both teachers and teacher educators critical hope in our collective struggle for the common good and a more democratic future.

Does Democracy Have a Future in Pakistan?

Abstract: Pakistan marked a watershed in its history on 9 May 2023 with the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, sparking nationwide protests and attacks on state institutions. These events, culminating in Khan's incarceration and a ban from public office, have intensified questions about the future of democracy in Pakistan. Political uncertainties are hardly new in in the country, but the coming together of economic crisis, political strife, and climatic disasters such as drought have sharpened age-old concerns about the country's stability. The chances of a genuine democratic dispensation emerging anytime soon can be ruled out, but if the key institutional stakeholders undertake to work with politicians instead of using, exploiting, and defaming them, Pakistan may well succeed in regaining lost ground and return to at least a semblance of normalcy.

Voluntary Taxation and the Future of Democracy

Voluntary Taxation and the Future of Democracy

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the Future of Democracy and Civic Participation

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the Future of Democracy and Civic Participation

MORAL AND ETHICAL COMPONENT OF SCIENCE IN TIMES OF WAR

MORAL AND ETHICAL COMPONENT OF SCIENCE IN TIMES OF WAR