Ultimately, our findings point to a potential fragility in democracies. If democracy is built on a social contract that requires mutual trust among citizens, and if corruption perceptions undermine that trust more strongly in democratic contexts, then democracies may face a vulnerability that autocracies do not. When citizens perceive corruption, they may lose faith not only in their leaders but also in each other. As democracies worldwide face challenges from polarization, populism, and institutional decay, understanding how institutional context shapes the social consequences of corruption may be important for preserving democratic resilience.
An autocracy inherently is corrupt, and therefore it always will be undermining social trust even more. It is time we treat billionnaires and right-wing populists and their financers and supporters as the terrorists they are. They need a good dose of denazification and deradicalisation – exposure to much different media.
