Future of Democracy in Post Pandemic Era

Democracy, understood as electoral democracy based on representation, was not at its strongest when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. It is widely held that during crisis people "rally round the flag", that is, elected leaders gain more popular support than they had under normal circumstances. Two explanations offered for this situation are - people gather around the nation's front figures as they look for security to face the threat. Second, the relative silence of political opposition and reduced partisan animosity creates a fundamental change in the information landscape, leading the public to follow the example.

The year 2020 will forever be the year of Coronavirus, a cataclysmic event in slow motion that has disrupted people's lives and disseminated a sense of uncertainty and vulnerability only to times of war. The Covid -19 pandemic has called into question many aspects of electoral and political life beyond the act of voting. Campaigns and conventions have been forced to go virtual, limiting traditional canvassing efforts and in-person rallies. Inequality will continue to scar the economy long after Covid leaves us.   

The pandemic sharpens the need to defend democracy, yet also presents new access points for domestic and international actors committed to doing so. The economic and social impact of Covid -19 place a strain on all types of political systems, yet democracies can gain a wider buy-in to difficult economic and fiscal measures to the extent that policies result from open debate over different options. Democracies can show a more fair, inclusive and open way of dealing with the challenges that the pandemic's long tail will present.

The Pandemic may be a challenge not to democracy but to liberal democracy in particular - in other words a system of popular sovereignty along with guaranteed basic rights, such as including freedom of association and expression and checks and balances on executive power. There may now be difficult trade-offs to be made between those basic rights and security - and after the experience of Coronavirus, many citizens may choose security. 

The crisis of democratic governance, have begun long before the Pandemic, is likely to continue after the health crisis recedes, as the laws and norms being put in place now will be difficult to reverse. Even amid devastation and disruption, some have responded to the Pandemic with hope and rejuvenation. Democracy is suffering around the world, but the public's demand for it has not been extinguished.  We need to empower individuals by democratizing access to decision-making processes and dialogues, political parties, technology and also potentially to a basic income. Outsourcing decisions, on the other hand, is the opposite of responsible leadership.   

 

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