in: Democracy Report 2022, Varieties of Democracy Institute (V-Dem)
We are pleased to present the Democracy Report 2022 from the V-Dem Institute. Our report comes during challenging times as the world is facing a war in Europe, rising tensions in the East Asia-Pacific region, a return of military and other coups, and new heights of polarization across many societies. It is our hope that the Democracy Report 2022 will contribute to a greater understanding of the global challenges to democracy. Like many other observers around the world, we are deeply concerned with the decline of democracy over the past decade. This year’s Democracy Report documents a continuation of that trend during 2021. This intensifying wave of autocratization around the world highlights the need for new initiatives to defend democracy. In 2021, a series of such engagements originated from the highest levels as well as a by a multitude of important grass roots actions around the world. But engagement to protect and promote democracy must build on science to be effective. Facts must meet misconceptions and lies about the virtues and limitations of democratic and autocratic governance. That is why we started the Case for Democracy with financial support from the European Union. It collates state-of-the-art research on the dividends of democracy for economic and human development, health and socio-economic protections, environmental protection and climate change mitigation, as well as for international and domestic security. You will find a special box with summary of findings in this year’s Democracy Report. We look forward to carrying on and expanding these efforts in the coming years.