noun phrase · academic
democratic deficit
UK/dɪˈmɒkrætɪk ˈdɛfɪsɪt/US/dɪˈmɑːkrætɪk ˈdɛfəsɪt/de·MO·cratic DEF·i·cit
A situation where political institutions or processes fail to live up to democratic standards like accountability and representation.
Examples
“Critics argue that the EU suffers from a democratic deficit because decisions are often made far from ordinary voters.”
“Voter disengagement can be both a cause and a symptom of a democratic deficit.”
“Addressing the democratic deficit requires greater transparency and citizen involvement.”
Band 8 sentence
“Scholars claim that tackling the democratic deficit requires institutional reform as well as enhanced civic education.”
Collocations
- suffer from a democratic deficit
- address the democratic deficit
- democratic deficit in institutions
Word family
Common mistakes
democracy deficit→democratic deficit
deficit of democracy→democratic deficit
Say it for a higher band
5lack of democracy→6weak democracy→7+democratic deficit
Synonyms
democratic shortfall
Easily confused
legitimacy deficit
“A legitimacy deficit occurs when citizens no longer trust political institutions to act in their interest.”
Related words
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In Society & Government
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