Democratic Deficit

A democratic deficit is when governing bodies or groups associated with governance fail to meet democratic standards. Markers for democratic deficits are low accountability and transparency, weak public institutions, and a distance between decision makers and the public. 

Evaluating the effectiveness of democracies usually involves analyzing the procedures involved in decision making and representation. The most commonly accused of democratic deficits are supranational institutions (such as the European Union or United Nations) as the size and structure of these institutions often means that decision making processes are far removed from average citizens, lowering participation levels. 

References: 

Druschke, P., & Nievas, G. (2026). The global democratic deficit: Undemocratic international institutions favor powerful Countries—and shape who pays and who benefits – WID – world inequality database. In WID – World Inequality Database. https://wid.world/news-article/the-global-democratic-deficit-undemocratic-international-institutions-favor-powerful-countries-and-shape-who-pays-and-who-benefits/

EUR-Lex. (2024). EUR-Lex – democratic_deficit – EN – EUR-Lex. In eur-lex.europa.eu. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/glossary/democratic-deficit.html

Letki, N. (2020). Democratic deficit | political science | britannica. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/democratic-deficit