Corruption Erodes Social Trust More in Democracies Than Autocracies Due to Democratic Norms
By
PaulHoule
Hand-rolled, kettle-boiled, baked to perfection. Worth every minute at the bakery.
Summary
This academic article examines how corruption affects social trust differently in democracies versus autocracies. The authors theorize that democracies are uniquely sensitive to corruption because their foundational commitments to equality and impartiality create psychological mechanisms that amplify corruption's negative impact on social capital. In democracies, corruption violates core democratic norms, leading to greater erosion of social trust compared to autocracies where expectations of corruption may already be higher. The article presents research on how regime type moderates the relationship between corruption and social trust.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledDemocracy may be uniquely sensitive to certain threats. Recent scholarship on democratic backsliding reveals how democracies can erode from within when norms decay and institutions weaken.
We theorize that this sensitivity arises from democracy's foundational commitments to equality and impartiality.
These commitments may create two psychological mechanisms that amplify corruption's impact on social trust.
While corruption exists in both democracies and autocracies, its social consequences may differ fundamentally across regime types.
In democracies, social capital appears to be particularly responsive to corruption.
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