Democracies under stress

Abstract: Liberal representative democracy is going through difficult times in Europe. Democratic malfunction is present both at national level and in the European Union. The democratic deficit of the EU is connected to national failures, but also has its own dynamics. Across Europe, politicians and activists are exploring alternatives to close the gap in trust and connection with citizens, at times opening the door to further deterioration of the democratic fabric. To overcome the current national–populist challenge, meaningful democratic reform at national and EU level is indispensable.

Keywords: Liberal representative democracy, European Union, democratic deficit, national–populist challenge, democratic reform.

Article posted to Journal of the British Academy, volume 8, supplementary issue 1 (A Mediterranean Perspective on European Union and Disunion).