Source-This post on Democracy Report 2024 is based on the article “India ‘one of the worst autocratisers’: V-Dem report on democracy” published in “The Hindu” on 11th March 2024.
Why in the News?
The 2024 Democracy Report shows that India, previously labeled as an “electoral autocracy” in 2018, has worsened across many measures, confirming India’s status as a major autocracy.
About the Report
Released by– V-Dem Institute at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg
Data collection– This report is a joint effort that engages 4,200 scholars representing 180 countries. It draws from 31 million datasets spanning 1789 to 2023 and covers 202 countries.
Democracy Assessment Parameters– The report classifies countries into four regime types using the Liberal Democratic Index (LDI): Liberal Democracy, Electoral Democracy, Electoral Autocracy, and Closed Autocracy.
What are the key findings of the report?
India’s Performance
a. India is at rank 104 in Liberal Democratic Index (LDI), India ranks in the bottom 40-50% among the 179 countries reviewed.
b. It has slipped further down in the Electoral Democracy Index, to 110.
c. India is at rank 92 in Liberal Component Index.
Spreading of autocratization globally
1. The report notes a global trend of increasing autocratization, affecting 42 countries and 2.8 billion people, or 35% of the world’s population.
2. The report indicates that South and Central Asia has become the second most autocratic region globally. In regional terms, Bhutan stands as the sole liberal democracy.
3. India, with 18% of the world’s population, holds about half of the population in countries experiencing autocratization.
| Component indices which add up 1. The V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index (LDI) measures both the liberal and electoral aspects of democracy using 71 indicators from the Liberal Component Index (LCI) and the Electoral Democracy Index (EDI). 2. The V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index (EDI) measures how well regimes conduct fair elections and ensure freedom of expression, access to information, association, and suffrage for both men and women. It also evaluates the extent to which elected officials control government policy. 3. The Liberal Component Index (LCI) aims to measure the “liberal principle of democracy” by emphasizing the protection of individual and minority rights against both state oppression and majority rule. |
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