The Relationship between Individuals and Politics behind the Erosion of Democracy

Analyses from various disciplines have increasingly converged for some time now, that democracy is under crossfire. The tensions facing democracy are often associated with a range of phenomena and processes, including post-truth, the weakening of political parties (and with them the mediation structures associated with this model), the influence of plutocracy in shaping political power, and the rise of authoritarianism. These are, among others, the factors perceived as challenges to democracy.

In the context of the question of the crisis of politics and its transformation within the liberal democratic model, this presentation examines one of its edges: the relationship between individuals and politics. This relationship has been key to understanding politics and is often seen as the most important foundation for its functioning. This has occurred by mobilizing concepts such as legitimacy, representation, adhesion, and/or citizen satisfaction. In this paper, we will present an analysis of the relationship between individuals and contemporary politics. We will draw on qualitative empirical research from two cases in South America (Chile and Peru). These cases were selected for their contrasting levels of institutionalization and political institutional strength, capacity for institutional political aggregation, and similarities in the economic model.

Based on our findings, we highlight how political imagination shapes the relationship with institutional politics and, consequently, participates in redefining, challenging, or reinforcing the fundamental principles that sustain liberal democracies. Finally, this presentation will ask about the possible new dynamics that might reconfigure the future of institutional politics in contemporary societies.