Context

According to the ‘Democracy Report 2024’ released by the Gothenburg-based V-Dem Institute, India, has failed on multiple metrics to emerge as “one of the worst autocratizers”.

About V-Dem Report’s Methodology

• Largest Global dataset: V-Dem produces the largest global dataset on democracy and is based on 31 million datasets that cover 202 countries from 1789 to 2023.
• Measurement of Different Attributes of Democracy: Involving over 4,200 scholars from 180 countries and experts from other countries, V-Dem measures hundreds of different attributes of democracy. 
  • V-Dem uses aggregate expert judgments to produce estimates of critical concepts.
• Innovative ways: V-Dem enables new ways to study the nature, causes, and consequences of democracy embracing its multiple meanings.

Key Findings of the Democracy Report 2024

• Autocratizing Countries: According to the Democracy Report 2024, 42 countries (home to 35% of the world’s population) were undergoing autocratisation. 
  • According to the report, 71% of the world’s population — 5.7 billion people — live in autocracies, an increase from 48% ten years ago. 
  • 8 of the top 10 “stand-alone” autocratizers were liberal or electoral democracies. In 2023, none are liberal democracies, and only 2 can be considered electoral democracies.
• Status of Democracy around the World: The level of democracy enjoyed by the “average person in the world is down to 1985-levels”, with the sharpest decline occurring in Eastern Europe, and South and Central Asia.
• Component of Democracy in Autocratising Countries: The Democracy Report 2024 singled out freedom of expression, clean elections, and freedom of association/civil society as the three worst affected components of democracy in autocratising countries. 
• Weakening of Autonomy of Electoral Bodies: The autonomy of the electoral management bodies “is weakening substantially in 22 of the 42 autocratising countries
• Decline of Liberal Democracy: The  level of “liberal democracy” enjoyed by the average Indian now “down to levels last seen in 1975 during Emergency
• Liberal Democratic Country:  The report noted that the only liberal democracy in the whole of South and Central Asia was Bhutan.

Parameters of Democracy Report 2024:

• Classification: The V-Dem Democracy Report 2024 classifies countries into four regime types based on their score in the Liberal Democratic Index (LDI): Liberal Democracy, Electoral Democracy, Electoral Autocracy, and Closed Autocracy. 
  • Liberal Democracy Index: The LDI captures both liberal and electoral aspects of a democracy based on 71 indicators that make up the Liberal Component Index (LCI) and the Electoral Democracy Index (EDI).
    • The LCI measures aspects such as the protection of individual liberties and legislative constraints on the executive.
    • The EDI considers indicators that guarantee free and fair elections such as freedom of expression and freedom of association. 

What Does Democracy Report 2024 Say About India?

• India’s shrinking environment for religious freedoms: The Indian government also continues to suppress the freedom of religious rights. 
• Intimidation of political opponents: Intimidation of political opponents and people protesting government policies and silencing of dissent in academia are now prevalent. 
• Censoring of Media: The report singles out El Salvador, India and “notably Mauritius” as “among the worst government offenders when it comes to increasing their efforts to censor the media.”

News Source: The Hindu