A Crisis of Trust in Democratic Institutions

The other day I took a a few taxis in Mexico City. Unlike rides in the United States, in Mexico conversations often turn to politics, economics, and trust in the government. After all, Mexico has a long history of distrust, with good reason. However, the conversation I had with several taxi drivers, I could have had at a libertarian rally or a Trump Rally. In fact, I had similar conversations with Sanders voters in 2016.

We have a crisis of trust in Democratic institutions across the Western World. This leads to the rise of populist governments, that promise to fix what ails these governments that failed the people. What is driving this is lack of transparency by governments, very real corruption and regulatory capture. It is also driven by the rise of monopolistic practices that leave consumers very little real choice in products they buy and have led to flat wages (for all intents and purposes) in many nations, not just the United States.

Like Donald Trump, Manuel Lopez Obrador painted himself as the savior of the nation. He was uniquely qualified to solve this crisis of governance and drain the swamp. His language was different, but in the end, it translates to the same. He also promised to lower the price of fuel, such as natural gas and gasoline. Neither of these has occurred, and in fact, they are still rising every month. For him, this…