Democratic Deficit and Human Insecurity

The panel proposes to look into the intersectionalties between weakening democratic institutions and rising human insecurities in the special context of South Asia. In recent years, growing concerns over "democratic deficit", that refers to the phenomenon of erosion of representative democratic principles within political systems, have garnered significant scholarly and policy attention. A democratic deficit often arises when democratic mechanisms, accountability measures and public participation channels weaken or disappear. This consequently leads to a significant void in which the voice and grievances of the citizens are muted and the responsiveness of political institutions is significantly reduced When governance fails to reflect and address the concerns of the populace, the immediate fallout is the omnipresence of human insecurity which manifests itself in the form of socio-political instability, economic vulnerability and threats to civil rights..
Democratic deficit manifests itself in several ways: declining voter turnout, erosion of checks and balances, limited press freedom, weakened judicial independence and the centralization of executive power. These processes reflect a diminished capacity of political systems to function inclusively and transparently. Human insecurity encompasses myriad threats, ranging from individual and community well-being and economic precariousness, and food insecurity, to environmental risks and societal violence., These threats to human security are often exacerbated by democratic deficits, as systems with weakened democratic accountability are less capable of addressing and mitigating such risks, leaving marginalized and vulnerable populations disproportionately affected.
This panel seeks to address the following research questions: How does the democratic deficit impact human security at the individual, community, and national level?. What mechanisms perpetuate democratic deficits within different political systems? How does democratic deficit operationalize socio-economic, political, and environmental insecurities? What are the ways and means of significantly diminishing the democratic deficit to reinforce human security and promote social stability?