Though they may seem complex, political systems are really only a set of rules, regulations, choices, and other actions that define how society is run. Who gets to choose the government's leadership? It's a political matter. What is the tax payer's burden, how much is it, and where does the money go? Those are also political matters. These and numerous more political challenges arise inevitably from the interactions of individuals, power structures, and policies at the local, national, and international levels. Which particular concerns need to be known to all? This post will provide 15 examples:
1. A decline in democracy
One of the most concerning political developments in the globe is the long-term deterioration of democracy. The 2023 report from Freedom House states that there has been a fall in global freedom for the 18th year running. Only 21 nations witnessed advances in civil and political rights, while 52 suffered a fall. Freedom House is not alone in its pessimistic evaluation. The "Transformation Index" of the Bertelsmann Foundation indicates that out of the 137 nations examined, 63 were democracies and 74 were autocracies. We need everyone's attention and involvement to stop this trend.
2. The right to free speech
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees everyone the right to express their thoughts freely, is dedicated to the protection of freedom of speech. This covers the freedom to get and disseminate information via any medium. Globally, there is a growing danger to the right to free speech. The Global Expression Score has decreased by 6 points during the last ten years, according to the Global Expression Report published in 2023. Attacks on journalists, human rights advocates, and civilians became harsher in 2022. Since the protection of other human rights and democracy depend on freedom of speech, its erosion is a significant political concern.
3. Corrupt practices in politics
Political corruption may take many different shapes, but it always occurs when connections or public servants abuse their positions of authority for personal gain. Corruption includes bribery, tax evasion, extortion, nepotism, and embezzlement. Data from 2019 shows that over $1 trillion is lost annually by developing nations due to corruption. Things are not much better in 2024. Transparency International said that international efforts to combat corruption are not succeeding. One explanation for this is the growth of authoritarianism, but there are also less protections in democratic nations. A nation's political and economic stability depend on its capacity to combat corruption.
#4: The shifting climate
The earth's weather and temperature are changing due to climate change. The issue? The planet is becoming too warm. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that greenhouse gas emissions are rising and that human activity has "unequivocally caused global warming." More frequent and severe weather events, lethal heat, food shortages, a decline in biodiversity, and other effects are among the consequences. Political action is required to combat climate change since impoverished communities—who bear the least responsibility for it—are the ones most impacted. This disparity has to be taken into consideration while tackling climate change.
#5. Immigration
International immigrants make up around 3.6% of the world's population, according to the UN. There are many positive effects of people migrating around, such as cultural exchange, economic progress, and the accomplishment of other sustainable development objectives, therefore immigration is not always a bad thing. But a lot of immigrants are uprooted by other problems like climate change, violence, and unstable economies. Over 30% more persons applied for asylum in 2022 than in 2020. Laws and policies should address the issues that lead individuals to relocate in the first place while safeguarding immigrants from mistreatment, exploitation, and other human rights abuses.
6. Inequality of income
Although there has always been economic disparity, COVID-19 made matters worse. The International Monetary Fund said that those with the lowest incomes—which included those without a college degree—were the most negatively impacted. According to Oxfam, the wealthiest five men in the world have quadrupled their fortune since 2020, while five billion people worldwide have experienced poverty. One of the most important political concerns is economic inequality as it affects so many other areas of society, including gender, race, and health. What consequences result? Societies with high levels of economic inequality tend to be less stable, educated, skilled, and pleasant.
7. Inequality of gender
A chronic and poisonous political problem is gender inequality. Even though there has been improvement, complete gender parity is predicted to take 131 years to attain by the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index. This is encouraging as the score seems to have rebounded after taking a significant knock during the epidemic. But there has been a noticeable slowdown in the pace of change. While no nation has achieved complete gender equality, the research indicates that at least 80% of the gap has been narrowed in nations including Iceland, Norway, New Zealand, Namibia, and Nicaragua. Equal opportunities for everyone, more stable economies, healthier children, and many other advantages are all advantages of gender equality.
#8: Fairness in reproduction
Reproductive justice encompasses a wide range of rights, such as access to healthcare for mothers, access to abortion, and access to contraception. What aspect of reproductive justice is political? Human Rights Watch states that the freedom to choose one's medical treatment, the number of children to have, when to have children, and whether to have children at all is essential to other human rights, particularly for women. Reproductive rights are still a hot button political topic after years of progress. Four nations—including the United States—have reduced access to abortion, and 40% of women continue to live under restrictive abortion laws.
#9. Health in the public
The science of preserving and enhancing human health at the municipal, state, and federal levels is known as public health. Public health practitioners do much more than only cure injuries, prevent illnesses, and educate the public. Health is a political problem since factors like housing, discrimination, and poverty all have an impact on it. The World Health Organization's chief said that the world is "not ready" for the next pandemic, reflecting the difficulties facing the public health sector globally. How probable is a new pandemic? According to one research, the likelihood of major pandemics such as COVID-19 might increase threefold in the next decades. Politicians, non-governmental organizations, and healthcare professionals should prioritize enhancing healthcare systems and public health initiatives.
#10. Racism inside the system
Prejudice or discrimination based on race is known as racism, and it is always an infringement on an individual's human rights. However, racism takes on even more political significance when it is ingrained in society institutions. Amnesty International defines systemic racism as laws and practices that allow some people to unfairly benefit while others suffer from damaging, discriminatory disadvantages due to their race. Between 2019 and 2028, the wealth disparity between White Americans and Black Americans might cost the US economy $1 to 1.5 trillion. Additionally, racism has an influence on public health, a highly politicized topic. Racism is harmful to society no matter where it happens.
#11. Misinformation
False information may be broadly classified into two categories: disinformation (intentionally false information intended to incite hate or fear) and misinformation (intentionally wrong information). Democracies are under danger from both. The World Economic Forum discussed how technology, such as artificial intelligence, enables individuals to subvert democratic processes in its 2023 Global Risks Report. Making phony movies and cloning the voices of politicians are only two examples of what they do. Although it's important to address false information, governments don't always mean well. Authoritarians may take advantage of ambiguous regulations that provide them the authority to define incorrect information, determine the harshness of penalties, and stifle dissent. Misinformation becomes a complicated political matter as a result, and it has to be addressed properly.
#12. Widespread surveillance
While governments have always been interested in learning about the whereabouts of its inhabitants and guests, technology has made it simpler to use methods of mass surveillance that compromise individuals' privacy. The ACLU claims that national security organizations often eavesdrop on private conversations, compile enormous databases, and list "suspicious" behaviors for no apparent reason. Even under the best of circumstances, this is unsettling, but surveillance technology is even more hazardous when it is in the hands of totalitarian regimes. Because of malware, journalists, human rights advocates, and activists have all been murdered or imprisoned. People need to be aware of the privacy risks associated with governments integrating artificial intelligence and increasing their capacity for monitoring.
13. Rights of labor
"Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment," according to Article 23 of the UDHR. Sadly, 28 million men, women, and children work as forced laborers. Although forced labor isn't as common, individuals still struggle to make ends meet in nations with lax labor regulations, which makes this a significant political problem. Half of renters in the US are unable to pay their rent. People need decent salaries in order to pay for housing, healthcare, education, transportation, clothes, food, and water, as well as an emergency fund.
14. Housing
Although everyone is entitled to a good place to live, there is a housing crisis worldwide. One major problem is affordability. The International Monetary Fund reports that house prices have increased by 10–25% since the start of the epidemic in the majority of EU, Middle Eastern, and African nations. In addition, a lack of housing is a problem in many areas, and rising loan rates are driving away prospective and present homeowners. There is also a serious danger from climate change. The United Nations claims that throughout the last ten years, internal displacement has mostly been caused by climatic catastrophes. The people most impacted were those who were homeless or living in unstable housing.
#15. Acts of violence
Political instability, human rights abuses, inequality, and other grave problems are all exacerbated by violence. The most visible effect of violence is obviously danger to human life, but it also drives people from their homes, increasing their vulnerability to more violence and exploitation. By the end of 2023, the number of individuals internally displaced due to violence worldwide had reached 68.3 million, the greatest since data collection began. Recently, there has been a catastrophic increase in violence in Gaza, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Almost 10 million people were displaced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as of the publication of this article in 2024; thousands of people had died in Sudan, and at least 35,000 had died in Gaza. These are just three instances; there is a worldwide rise in violence against women and girls.
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