Democracy defnitly is not a yes or no question. I agree, that there is many different implementations of democracy.

I would argue, that in a place where there is more federation, local constitutions and power goes from the bottom up, when needed, then it is best matched democracy.

But I think it is a human issue, just the same as with security. Security is an investment. One invests extra resources to ensure data, or other goods.

The same way, it is an investment to be politically active. One has to invest time, to participate. And some are more willing to invest this time, some less or not at all.

So a good democracy depends also on the number of willing people to actively participate, discuss and find good solution.