Decline of Democracy in Class and Identity Politics: A Human Rights Theory of Democracy

ABSTRACT: Decline of democracy, which used to be associated with developing countries, is now a global concern. Democratic principles and institutions are "backsliding" or under attack even in older, "established" democracies. This article offers a comparative analysis of democratic decline during the Cold War and post-Cold War eras – periods characterized by class and identity politics, respectively. It proposes a human rights theory of democracy that explains the decline of democratic systems by the gap between civil-political and social-economic rights. It highlights the pervasive influence of neo-classical and neoliberal economic paradigms as central factors driving this regression.