Surveys suggest that in many Western democracies, political trust is at its lowest point. Scandals, corruption, weakening economies, conspiracy theories and circulating disinformation all contribute to this. But is it really so bad for people living in a democracy to distrust their government?
In this episode of The weekly conversationLet's talk over with political scientist Grant Duncan about why he thinks a certain level of distrust and skepticism of powerful politicians is definitely healthy for democracy. And about how populists like Donald Trump manage to make use of people's distrust of the political elite to their advantage.
Grant Duncan says that the majority people don't grow up considering, “Do I trust the government?” unless asked by a pollster. And yet, when things go incorrect, he says, “we have good reason to pause and ask about promises kept or not kept.”
Originally from New Zealand, Duncan is currently a visiting scholar in politics at City St. George's, University of London within the United Kingdom. His research focus is on the issues with political trust and the right way to get there higher governments. He argues that in democracies people mustn’t trust their government.
“Democratic constitutions are based on the premise that nobody with power could be trusted. That's why we’ve separation of powers, why we’ve regular elections, a free press, persons are continually monitoring what's happening because we don't trust anyone. “Democracy with political power.”
Populists fill the gaps
Duncan says, for instance, that without the American colonists' deep distrust of the federal government of King George III. there would have been no United States of America in England. Still, he acknowledges that there’s a paradox on the core of democratic systems that relies on trust to operate. When you vote in a representative system, you're putting “a lot of trust in a very small number of people making laws and governments and making decisions on our behalf,” he says.
Duncan believes that Donald Trump's re-election as US president directly reflects the mood of political distrust within the country. Trump, together with other populists from each the left and the fitting around the globe, have exploited this paradox of representative government, which implies that a small elite is entrusted with much power.
“It often happens that a big a part of society feels that changes are happening around them that they don’t understand, that they don’t like and that they don’t approve of. And it just takes one smart leader to think: I could make political capital out of this by turning to the hustle and saying, “I'm speaking to you, the real people, the forgotten people… I'm speaking for you.”
Get higher managers
There are ways to extend people's trust of their democracies, and while it's not nearly blaming the federal government, Duncan believes those that wield power have a much greater responsibility:
“When politicians and senior officials are concerned about how to restore public trust, the first thing they need to do is take a look in the mirror because we need trustworthy leaders. “We don't want misconduct and scandals.”
In addition, there may be the competent provision of public services and ensuring the security of individuals. And having leaders who’re aware of their limitations and transparent in regards to the challenges they face, especially in light of technological developments equivalent to artificial intelligence. Charismatic leaders won’t come and solve the issues for us, he says.
“I think we are too fascinated by charisma and, on the other hand, perhaps too angry about leaders who do not meet our expectations. So we need some kind of commitment to the task of government because so much is going to change and we have to.” Remember that political trust isn’t destroyed and rebuilt like a machine. It is a human phenomenon through which all of us participate.”
image credit : theconversation.com