Democracy in crisis: challenges and outlook

Democracy is in crisis around the world and is facing its toughest test since the rise of fascism in the 1930s. The article analyzes the way in which its decline has developed with increasing intensity since the first decade of the century, with the stagnation and retreat of new democracies, the erosion of the established ones, the renaissance of the extreme right and the renewed vitality of autocratic regimes. The work examines the interpretations of this regression according to the main theoretical approaches and data from annual studies that monitor the state of democracy in the world. The paper explore the possible causes of democratic erosion -socioeconomic and technological change, globalization, culture shift and the new geopolitical context-and future prospects. The future is not determined and will depend on the ability of societies and governments to identify and solve the problems that are causing the crisis. The main challenge facing democracy is to demonstrate its ability to improve the lives of its citizens.