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The Why? Curve
Democracy in Crisis
Season 1, Ep. 84
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It's the biggest year in the history of democracy - more than half of the people on earth have the chance to choose, through the ballot box, who governs them. So why is democracy - the system that gives the ultimate power to the people - in such deep trouble? Autocracies like China say their form of government works better. "Illiberal" democracies like Russia claim the countries where your vote actually counts, are weak and failing. And even beacons of democratic values like the US are caught up in threats of dictatorship and allegations of vote-rigging. Do those who say a system can't work if it's paralysed by instant popularity and short-term vote-winning, have a point? Is there something fundamentally wrong with western style of government? Natasha Lindstaet, Professor of Government at the University of Essex tells Phil and Roger why democracy is in trouble, and suggests some ways to fix it.
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