Disillusionment with democracy
Incidence
The 1990s have seen increasing disillusionment with democratic processes in Eastern European countries where many people are alienated from the political culture they had earlier rushed to embrace. Having been told repeatedly that democracy and the free market are linked, many seem to have ended up convinced by the natural corollary -- that if the market offers them few advantages, the democratic system itself is at fault. In 1992, 50% of Polish adults declared democracy useful only if it generated wealth. Only 18% described its benefits in categories of freedom and human rights. Just 13% believed politicians were concerned for society's welfare; 75% felt they were motivated by personal interests alone.
Claim
In the "first world", people are encouraged to assume that democracy is a fact of life, an unshakable institution, secure from any fatal dangers. They are also encouraged to view capital exploitation itself as a sign of democracy, particularly in formerly socialist states. As citizens there suffer under intentionally destabilized economies, megacorps organize exploitive infrastructures. Meanwhile, we're told that the locals are simply "slow to adapt" to democracy.
Broader
Narrower
Aggravates
Aggravated by
Strategy(ies)
Value(s)
Type
(F) Fuzzy exceptional problems