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  • It is both the best and the worst of times for democracy – or at least for voting. Although a record-breaking four billion people across 76 countries will have cast ballots in elections this year, democratic institutions are increasingly under strain, and leading watchdogs warn of a broad-based global trend toward “autocratization.”

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    1. strain25 Getty Images

      The Economic World We’ve Lost

      Michael R. Strain laments the declining support for policy principles that delivered decades of prosperity after World War II.
    2. gul7 Getty Images

      The Case for Optimism in the Muslim World

      Abdullah Gül offers a broad assessment of Muslim-majority countries’ progress toward democracy and sustainable development.
    3. oneil1 Getty Images

      Latin America’s Big Opportunity

      Shannon K. O'Neil explains how the region could benefit from global economic and geopolitical reordering.
    4. rogoffq2_Dan KitwoodGetty Images_davidcameron Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

      Britain’s Democratic Failure

      Kenneth Rogoff explains why nation-defining decisions should not be put to a simple majority vote.
    5. sberman1 Getty Images

      How Serious Is Europe’s Anti-Democratic Threat?

      Sheri Berman considers whether right-wing populist parties pose a genuine danger to democracy in the region.
    6. drchowdhury1 Getty Images

      India’s “Truman Show” Democracy

      Debasish Roy Chowdhury explains how Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s chauvinist ruling party has coopted the country’s news media.
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      PS Quarterly

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      Accountability Holds the Key to Restoring Trust in Democracy

      Anat R. Admati argues that recklessness and deception flourish when their root causes are poorly understood.
    9. born4 Getty Images

      America’s Democratic Dysfunction

      Kelly Born considers the deep-rooted problems that have tarnished the image of the world’s most famous democracy.
    10. gerstle1_JIM BOURGPOOLAFP via Getty Images_bidentrump JIm Bourg/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

      Whom Will America Elect?

      Gary Gerstle explains why the rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden has turned out to be a close contest.
    11. benghiat4 Getty Images

      The New-Old Authoritarianism

      Ruth Ben-Ghiat explains how Donald Trump and other “strongmen” leaders are dismantling democracy.
    12. whatley24_Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_un Getty Images

      Is the UN Becoming Irrelevant?

      Mark Malloch-Brown, et al. consider whether, and how, the world's premier multilateral forum can remain effective.

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