The decline of liberal democracy in the world

Fundación Banco Santander has published a report on "The Crisis of Liberal Democracies" based on the debate held by independent experts from different professional backgrounds from the public and private sectors as part of the "Ideas Collection" cycle, sponsored by the Foundation. One of the most striking data to highlight the current situation is that in 2002, 72% of the world's population lived in autocratic regimes, which means that for the first time in more than two decades, the world has more closed autocracies (absence of free elections and fundamental rights) than liberal democracies.

The main conclusions of the report:

• Most of the world's population lives under autocratic governments. In 2002, 72% of the world's population lived under autocratic regimes. For the first time in more than two decades, the world has more closed autocracies (absence of free elections and fundamental rights) than liberal democracies.
  
  
• Factors driving autocracies in the world: the report highlights, among other factors, the following: negative effects of digitalization (disinformation and fake news, loss of jobs through automation), demography (migratory movements, clash of cultures, distance between cities and "places that don't matter"), rise of populist politics, international influences, economic factors such as the growth of inequality or inflationary environment, and the quality of institutions. In relation to this last factor, the report points out that Spain scores well in terms of the electoral quality of our system but could improve in aspects related to depoliticization, reduction of bureaucracy and transparency.