Election integrity at stake: Report highlights governance issues in the US

A person stops to watch a screen displaying the US Presidential debate between Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Washington, DC, on September 10, 2024. For example, electoral accountability scores dropped from 92 points (out of 100) in 2015 to 82 points in 2021. High public spending on healthcare has not translated into improved outcomes, raising questions about sustainability amid rising public debt. Weakened state capacity negatively affects the US government's ability to respond to crises or natural disasters. These challenges will persist regardless of the election outcome, the researchers say.A Democratic Party-led administration may address these issues better than one led by Donald Trump, but "both scenarios face significant obstacles", the report concludes.