Thank you for the very well considered and thorough analysis of what I have been observing and living in for the past 50 years. You have focused my thoughts by giving me the words.
I understand this highly readable text as follows: The essay analyzes the creeping, structural loss of trust in democratic institutions as “systemic fatigue”—a kind of institutional exhaustion. Unlike dramatic collapses, this process manifests itself in the slow erosion of legitimacy caused by failures on a small scale: bureaucratic incompetence, disappointed expectations, visible corruption. The result is a creeping, barely noticeable decline, comparable to material fatigue in engineering.
Systemic fatigue is not simply a crisis of political life, but rather an expression of a profound structural change in the relationship between citizens and institutions. Without structural adjustment and cultural renewal, democratic orders are at risk of gradual decline.
When considering authoritarian governments, three pillars of stability are often seen as fundamental: legitimacy, prosperity, and repression. This can be applied to democracy to a limited extent: eroding legitimacy has been discussed at length in the text, lack of prosperity for all (Wohlstand für alle, Ludwig Erhard) has become a serious problem, and the issue of internal peace and maintaining security and order is on the agenda in a number of Western countries.
In addition to "culture" (i.e. institutions as well as the relation ship between citizens and institutions), I believe that people are the greatest challenge to ensuring democracy, peace, and freedom. Are those in politics, government bureaucracy, and ultimately also in business capable of doing what is objectively necessary and appropriate?
Happy to have found you here on Substack. I’ve been exploring similar themes but from the angle of technology and what is doing to us. I want to add … what happens when our institutions get so laser-focused on hitting their KPIs … like grow faster, keep us “safe,” run like clockwork that they forget the human stuff like trust, fairness, and a sense of belonging? Can something look totally “successful” on paper and still feel wrong to the people living under it?
Thank you for the very well considered and thorough analysis of what I have been observing and living in for the past 50 years. You have focused my thoughts by giving me the words.
A truly comprehensive and sharp analysis. Thanks a lot for this insightful post.
A deep and truly analyse. A must-read for those who wish to know what is going on beyond the surface.
I understand this highly readable text as follows: The essay analyzes the creeping, structural loss of trust in democratic institutions as “systemic fatigue”—a kind of institutional exhaustion. Unlike dramatic collapses, this process manifests itself in the slow erosion of legitimacy caused by failures on a small scale: bureaucratic incompetence, disappointed expectations, visible corruption. The result is a creeping, barely noticeable decline, comparable to material fatigue in engineering.
Systemic fatigue is not simply a crisis of political life, but rather an expression of a profound structural change in the relationship between citizens and institutions. Without structural adjustment and cultural renewal, democratic orders are at risk of gradual decline.
When considering authoritarian governments, three pillars of stability are often seen as fundamental: legitimacy, prosperity, and repression. This can be applied to democracy to a limited extent: eroding legitimacy has been discussed at length in the text, lack of prosperity for all (Wohlstand für alle, Ludwig Erhard) has become a serious problem, and the issue of internal peace and maintaining security and order is on the agenda in a number of Western countries.
In addition to "culture" (i.e. institutions as well as the relation ship between citizens and institutions), I believe that people are the greatest challenge to ensuring democracy, peace, and freedom. Are those in politics, government bureaucracy, and ultimately also in business capable of doing what is objectively necessary and appropriate?
Happy to have found you here on Substack. I’ve been exploring similar themes but from the angle of technology and what is doing to us. I want to add … what happens when our institutions get so laser-focused on hitting their KPIs … like grow faster, keep us “safe,” run like clockwork that they forget the human stuff like trust, fairness, and a sense of belonging? Can something look totally “successful” on paper and still feel wrong to the people living under it?