People across the world are protesting their lack of real democracy

In recent years the world has been shaken by protests, from the Arab Spring to the “Indignados” (outraged), from Occupy to food riots. Hernán Cortés Saenz looks at a recent study of more than 800 protests across the world since 2006, and finds that protests are increasing, especially in developing regions such as Latin America. He writes that these protests are often driven not only by a desire for economic justice, but also by what the protestors perceive as a lack of ‘real democracy’ that prevents economic issues from being addressed.