And socionomics offers a clear explanation as to why
Raise your hand if you live in a free democracy.
According to a startling 2024 report, the number of people with their hands raised is now a global minority. From The Telegraph, March 19, 2024:
Global shift: Autocracies now outnumber democracies in concerning worldwide trend.
According to the Bertelsmann Foundation’s “Transformation Index,” there are now 63 democracies compared to 74 autocracies. In other words, states that tend not to have free elections or a functioning constitutional state… The study analyzes political transformation toward democracy, economic transformation, and governmental action. All three categories are currently at an all-time low.
The article offers several “causes” of the decline in democracies: Covid lockdowns, Russia’s war with Ukraine, and national protests of police brutality during the pandemic.
“Must-Read Highlights from the Socionomist” flips that narrative; those events didn’t cause the collapse in democracy. They are effects of an increasingly negative social mood, which origin dates back to the year 2000 with the all-time peak in stocks priced in terms of real money.
Chapter 1 of the “Must-Read Highlights” report begins:
– Authoritarianism Across the Globe –
Liberal democracies, which feature constitutional protections of individual rights from government power, have risen in concert with the Dow Jones Industrial Average since the early 1800s. That trend appears to be faltering.
Just as stocks struggled higher in the 2000s, the number of liberated democracies slowed dramatically. A slight tick down, from 90 to 89 “free” countries in 2009, confirms what we said here last month: The social effects of the bear market are mostly still to come.
After several decades of consistent progress, the state of global freedom has entered a period of stagnation and possibly even decline. Among the principal targets of the new authoritarianism is civil society. The result has been a notable reversal for freedom of association throughout much of the world.
Socionomics suggests that today’s expressions of authoritarianism are occurring at the beginning of a much larger trend.
More than a decade ago, socionomics foresaw the “beginning” of a global shift toward authoritarianism. In 2024, that gradual shift crossed another milestone as autocracies now outnumber democracies.
Club EWI members can read the full Authoritarianism Across the Globe chapter of the “Must-Read Highlights from the Socionomist” report – for just $2/month — which also includes these chapters:
- Russia: From Bull Market to Global Bully
- Polarization Inc.: The Disunited States of America
- Epidemics: Spanish Flu to Covid 19
- Marijuana Legalization Movement