9 A. General (global) challenges

1. The global democratic recession — two decades of declining freedom scores (Freedom House); authoritarian revisionism;2. Populism and majoritarianism — leaders claiming to embody "the real people", delegitimising opposition, courts, and press;3. Illiberal democracy — elections retained, rights hollowed;4. Money and media power — campaign finance distortion; social-media misinformation, echo chambers, computational propaganda;5. Inequality — political equality eroded by economic inequality (Gilens & Page's oligarchy findings);6. Weak institutions & personalised rule — parties become family firms; parliaments rubber- stamp;7. Identity conflict — ethnicity and religion weaponised;8. State incapacity — democracy asked to deliver what the state cannot;9. Impatience — publics demand outcomes faster than democratic deliberation can produce.