The democratic political process is broken

Political process

• Democratic politics aims to foster constructive collaboration and consensus building.
• Public discourse is essential for the exchange of ideas and opinions necessary to reach consensus.

Impediments affecting public discourse:

• Institutional news media’s loss of credibility.
• Content creation on social media prioritizes virality over substance.
• Media proliferation fragments collective attention.
• Civil society increasingly relies on the state for legitimacy, shifting away from its role as an independent voice.
• Political parties prioritize internal affairs over policy discussion, limiting constructive dialogue.
• Uncertain electoral benefits deter representatives from influencing policy agendas, favoring direct interventions for constituent services.

Conclusion:

• These interconnected issues resist easy solutions, but efforts must be made to address them in the world’s largest democracy.

Source: The Hindu