India ‘One of the Worst Autocracies’: V-Dem Report on Democracy

According to a 2024 report by the V-Dem Institute, India has ranked 104 on the Liberal Democracy Index, which is part of the V-Dem Democracy Indices that tracks democratic freedoms worldwide. This index includes measures of civil liberties, checks and balances, and rule of law. The report also states that India has become "one of the worst autocratisers lately" and is in the "top ten autocratisers" in the world.

About the Report:

Aspect	Details
Released by	V-Dem Institute at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg
Data Collection	A collaborative effort involving 4,200 scholars from 180 countries
Scope	covering 202 countries from 1789 to 2023.
Key Findings	India ranks 104 in LDI, slipped to 110 in the Electoral Democracy Index, 92 in the Liberal Component Index
Regional Impact	South and Central Asia second most autocratic region globally, Bhutan sole liberal democracy
Component Indices	V-Dem LDI combines indicators from the Liberal Component Index (LCI) and Electoral Democracy Index (EDI)
	EDI Measures fairness of elections, freedom of expression, information, association, and suffrage
	LCI Emphasizes the protection of individual and minority rights against state oppression and majority rule

About V-Dem

1. The V-Dem Institute (Varieties of Democracy), founded in 2014 by Swedish political scientist Staffan Lindberg, analyzes the characteristics of governments worldwide.
2. Based at the University of Gothenburg's political science department in Sweden, the institute publishes a series of prominent datasets.
3. These publicly accessible datasets, updated annually, provide information on various government aspects through hundreds of indicator variables.

The V-Dem Institute's Democracy Report: Monitoring the State of Democracy Worldwide

1. Introduction:

   1. The V-Dem Institute is known for its comprehensive Democracy Report, which highlights the current state of democracy globally.

2. Classification of Countries:

   1. Countries are categorized into 4 regime types based on their scores in the Liberal Democratic Index (LDI):
      1. Liberal Democracy
      2. Electoral Democracy
      3. Electoral Autocracy
      4. Closed Autocracy

3. Liberal Democratic Index (LDI):

   1. The LDI includes both liberal (individual and minority rights) and electoral (free and fair elections) aspects of a democracy.
   2. The LDI is composed of 71 indicators divided into the Liberal Component Index (LCI) and the Electoral Democracy Index (EDI).

4. Measuring Liberal and Electoral Aspects:

   1. The LCI assesses factors such as protection of individual liberties and legislative checks on the executive.
   2. The EDI evaluates indicators related to free and fair elections, such as freedom of expression and association.

5. Additional Components Considered:

   1. Apart from the LDI, the Democracy Report also incorporates the following components:
      1. Egalitarian Component Index (equality among different social groups)
      2. Participatory Component Index (health of citizen groups and civil society organizations)
      3. Deliberative Component Index (whether political decisions are based on public reasoning or emotional appeals, solidarity, or coercion)

6. Annual Publication:

   1. The Democracy Report is published annually in March, providing a timely update on the global state of democracy.

Key Findings of the Democracy Report 2024:

1. Collaborative Effort: The Democracy Report 2024 is a collaborative project involving 4,200 scholars from 180 countries. It is based on a comprehensive analysis of 31 million datasets covering 202 countries from 1789 to 2023.
2. Overall Findings:

• Autocratization on the Rise: In 2023, 42 countries, home to 35% of the world's population, were undergoing autocratization.
• Growing Prevalence of Autocracies: 71% of the world's population, or 5.7 billion people, now live in autocracies, compared to 48% ten years ago.
• Decline in Global Democracy: The average person in the world now enjoys a level of democracy comparable to that of 1985, indicating a substantial decline.
• Regional Trends: The sharpest declines in democracy have been observed in Eastern Europe, as well as South and Central Asia.
• Critical Components: The report identifies freedom of expression, fair elections, and freedom of association/civil society as the 3 most affected components of democracy in autocratizing countries.
• Elections in 2024: The report notes that out of the 60 countries scheduled to hold elections in 2024, more than half (31) are currently experiencing a period of democratic decline.

With respect to India:

1. 1. India was downgraded to an electoral autocracy in 2018 but has since declined further on multiple metrics, becoming one of the worst autocracies.
   2. According to a report, the level of liberal democracy enjoyed by the average Indian has declined to levels last seen in 1975, when Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency in India.
   3. A liberal democracy is characterized by regular free and fair elections, judicial independence, constraints on executive overreach, and protection of civil liberties and equality before the law.

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