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News: US President Biden recently conducted a Summit for democracy which focused on the question that how any threat to democracy can pose an existential crisis for the human civilization.
Why it is important to protect democratic norms and institutions?
Civilizations depend on twin pillars of norms and conventions. If one of the pillars becomes weak, a civilization will collapse.
As has been seen across history, Culture and institutions have a huge influence on economy. Humans mostly learn though social learning which in turn shape norms (socially acceptable rules) which then sustain society.
Since the pandemic, several such factors have emerged which have amplified the threat to democratic institutions.
For example: Strain due to rapid advance of digital technology, increased outsourcing leading to hyper-nationalism which is in turn is fuelling the rise of anti-democratic leaders.
What can be done to sustain and protect democracy?
Pro social preferences can be instilled through education. We can do this through education, and by deliberating and deciding as citizens to promote certain kinds of collective behaviour.
Strategy drawn from game theory involving a global guarantee of human rights can also work against authoritarian regimes.
| Game theory is the science of strategy. It attempts to determine mathematically and logically the actions that “players” should take to secure the best outcomes for themselves in a wide array of “games.” The outcome for each participant depends on the choices (strategies) of all. It works on zero-sum games and the interests of the players conflict totally, so that one person’s gain always is another’s loss. |
There is need for a minimal global constitution that provides a set of guarantees, like basic human rights and press freedom, and authorizes countries to intervene when a government violates them.
Drafting such a universal constitution cannot be left to any particular country, because it will invariably focus on self-interest first. Hence, an autonomous group to draft a strategy and then an autonomous multilateral authority needs to be created to help achieve it.
Source: This post is based on the article “How a universal constitution can save democracy across the world” published in Livemint on 26th Dec 2021
