In recent years, we have seen young people across the world take to the streets in huge numbers. Propelled by economic precarity, exclusion from power, and elite corruption, Gen Z protesters have been risking severe repression despite little hope of bringing lasting change. While student-driven movements may usher in real democracy in some places, in many countries mass protests lead authoritarian regimes to simply double down on repression.
In the latest issue of the Journal of Democracy, Erica Chenoweth and Matthew Cebul explore how the world’s disaffected youth can convert their protest energy into electoral and institutional influence. Read their essay and others on the Gen-Z protests from the Journal.
Why Gen-Z Is Rising
Young people from Peru to Madagascar to Nepal—furious with political elites reaping the spoils of privilege and corruption—are rising up to demand change. But what happens when their movements succeed?
Erica Chenoweth and Matthew CebulTanzania Will Never Be the Same
As Tanzania’s October 2025 sham election got underway, protests broke out across the country, sparking a brutal regime crackdown. That brief reign of terror marks a turning point for both the ruling party and the Tanzanian people. There is no going back.
Dan PagetThe Return of Politics in Bangladesh
The student movement that toppled Bangladesh’s longtime autocratic ruler wants more than a return to the old order. These young revolutionaries are seizing a chance to start anew. How and by whom will the country’s future be decided?
Nusrat Sabina ChowdhuryCameroon’s Election Casts a Long Shadow
The country’s 92-year-old president, Paul Biya, just claimed victory in an election that voters rightly view with suspicion. The tensions under the surface don’t bode well for the country or its people.
Christopher FomunyohWhy South Asia’s Regimes Keep Falling
The government of Nepal has become the third South Asian government to collapse amid mass protests in three years. It will take more than elections to restore stability. Young protesters want to see real change.
Paul StanilandWhy Kenya’s Gen Z Has Taken to the Streets
The country’s young people are no longer willing to accept politics without accountability, and the government’s repressive crackdown is only fueling their movement. Gen Z is reshaping the future of Kenyan democracy.
Judy MbuguaWhy Cuba’s Student Movement Is Rising
Cuba’s dictatorship has kept student movements under its thumb for decades. But the regime’s repressive tactics have inadvertently breathed new life into a new generation of student activists. These young people are willing to fight for the island’s freedom.
Carolina Barrero
Subscribe here to have curated collections like this one and other Journal of Democracy news delivered directly to your inbox.
Image credit: LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images