- Input Legitimacy vs. Output Legitimacy: Democracy requires two forms of legitimacy to survive: input legitimacy (processes and procedures) and output legitimacy (government effectiveness).
- Output Legitimacy is Falling: Only 41% of Americans are satisfied that democracy is working well, and only 39% have faith in the U.S. government to solve domestic problems.
- Politics of Resentment: People are less likely to rally to defend democracy if they believe the system is failing them, which can lead to a “politics of resentment”.
- Distant Power Centers: Many people feel that the sources of power—both public and private—are far away and unresponsive, and that when something goes wrong, they’re on their own.
- Compensate for Mistakes: Companies that engage in predatory billing should face serious fines, and corporations that steal people’s time through their own mistakes should be forced to compensate them.
- Make it Easier to Cancel Services: Regulators should ensure that it is as easy to cancel a service as it is to sign up for it.
Published February 25, 2023
Visit The Atlantic to read Brian Klaas’s original post Democracy Has a Customer-Service Problem
