Democratic Resilience or Autocratic Drift? Institutional Challenges in Bangladesh

Bangladesh stands at a critical juncture where the competing forces of democratic resilience and autocratic drift define its political landscape. Despite impressive economic growth and improved human development indicators, Bangladesh has witnessed a steady erosion of its democratic institutions. While modernization theory suggests that economic development fosters democracy, the country's political trajectory challenges this assumption. The persistence of executive dominance, electoral manipulation, and a lack of judicial independence indicates that institutional strength, rather than economic prosperity, is the decisive factor in democratization.This paper argues that economic indicators alone do not determine democratic consolidation. Instead, an independent judiciary, electoral integrity, and a politically neutral military play a far more significant role in preserving democratic governance. The study integrates a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data from Freedom House, the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Index, and World Bank economic reports with qualitative analyses of Bangladesh's electoral history, judicial reforms, and civil-military relations. The findings underscore the necessity for judicial reforms, electoral accountability, and military oversight to prevent Bangladesh from sliding further into authoritarian governance.