16/02/2021
New episode of Democracy Matters about how to create responsive, inclusive institutions that support civic engagement. Listen at: http://bit.ly/zuckermandm
New Podcast Alert! Listen here or wherever you podcast: http://bit.ly/zuckermandm
From the 1970s to today, Americans report having less trust in the police, organized religion, the medical system, the Supreme Court, public schools, banks, organized labor, newspapers, television news, the criminal-justice system, and big business. We are in a moment in which trust in institutions is not only low, but also deeply polarized. There are also deep divides over how to address the very public problems those institutions are meant to solve. Mistrust can be a powerful tool for driving change. In this moment, we have to ask whether systems are reformable through institutional change or whether insurrection as a civically responsible form of social change is required.
In this episode, we talk with Ethan Zuckerman, associate professor of public policy, communication and information at UMass Amherst, who argues that rather than rebuilding trust in institutions, we should question whether institutions are worthy of our trust. We can either work to make our existing institutions better, or we can recognize that they’re no longer fit for purpose and build new ones in their stead.
The Democracy Group
