Social Movements and the Democratic Dilemma: Expansion of Participation or Crisis of Representation? The global proliferation of social movements over the past few decades—ranging from the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street to India’s anti-corruption movement, Chile’s student protests, and France’s Yellow Vests—has sparked scholarly debate on whether these phenomena constitute a deepening of democracy … Continue reading Does the proliferation of social movements signify a democratic expansion of participatory political space, or does it reflect a structural erosion and declining legitimacy of representative institutions? Critically examine this duality with reference to theories of democratic engagement and empirical illustrations from diverse political contexts.