Half of the world votes this year and growing polarisation, alienation, nationalist self-interest, and growing popularity of undemocratic leaders cast a worrying shadow. Democracy and the world find themselves in gridlock, writes Pedro Conceição.

This year, we witness the most wide-reaching wave of democratic exercise, as over half of the global population will cast their votes. However, growing polarisation, alienation, nationalist self-interest and growing popularity of undemocratic leaders cast a worrying shadow on this historical moment. Democracy, and the world with it, finds itself in a gridlock, in a moment where cooperation is of the utmost importance.

Some 330 million Europeans will head to the polls this June to vote in the European Parliamentary elections. Moderate and centrist political groups might cede further ground to parties that espouse anti-elite and inward-looking narratives, which have doubled their vote share from 15 percent to almost 30 percent over this century.

Political polarisation threatens to paralyse cooperation on the global challenges to which the European Parliament must respond, from wars to violent extremism to the encroaching threat of climate change, gridlock is simply not an option.

Democracy is by nature a boisterous affair that thrives amidst a diversity of views on policies and priorities. But polarization can halt such a process, entrenching societies in groups so hostile to one another that healthy exchange of views becomes impossible, eroding democratic practices.

The ‘democracy-paradox’

Such concerns are not limited to Europe. As the latest Human Development Report reveals, two-thirds of the global population feels that their voice is not considered in their political system.

In addition to this perceived lack of agency, surveys point to a mounting sense of alienation toward their fellow citizens. For example, while 69 percent of people around the world report being willing to sacrifice some of their income to contribute to climate change mitigation, only 43 percent believe others feel the same.

When people feel stuck, not in control, and alienated, the notion of a strong leader might seem appealing.

This so-called ‘democracy paradox’ is real and insidious: in a global survey, nine out of 10 people worldwide have consistently endorsed democracy over the years, yet the share of respondents expressing support for such leaders that could undermine it has been creeping up this century, and now comprises more than half of respondents.

There are worrying signs that the democracy paradox is already in play. Across Europe, international cooperation has become more politically contentious in countries where political polarization is heightened.

How to move forward

How do we move forward in a fractured political landscape? We propose three approaches to nourishing healthier debate.

First, we need to find and expand on points of commonality and correct the false assumption of how little we agree on. Gridlock emerges because collective action depends not only on what one privately thinks about an issue but also on how each of us believes others around us think about the same issue.

Second, we should empower individuals to feel more in control of their lives and to exert a stronger voice in shaping the future. One way to do this is by retooling institutions to be more people-centred, co-owned, and future-oriented, which can lead to citizen assemblies that are rooted in collective progress rather than in grievance.

Third, we can adopt a framework to provide global public goods, which recognises the need for wide-scale cooperation on the unprecedented challenges facing us all.

The great promise of a global public goods approach is that it does not depend on all differences and tensions among countries being resolved. Instead, it finds points of cooperation that are not zero-sum and proceeds from there.

Democratic institutions like the European Parliament shape, but also reflect, the health of political debates and decision-making. We must remedy the drivers of unhealthy debates and hostility so that democratic norms and practices are respected and strengthened.