The U.S. Loses “Full Democracy” Status
The United Kingdom’s Economist Intelligence Unit released the Democracy Index 2016 Wednesday, Jan. 25, and revealed the United States has lost its status as a “full democracy.” The nation is now considered a “flawed democracy.” The conclusion was made after grading the U.S. and 166 other countries in five categories: electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, political culture and civil liberties. Based on the scores in those categories, all countries in the report were ranked as one of the following: full democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid regime and authoritarian regime.