I defer to chatgpt for an answer.
Kitskid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Good question. A kakistocracy means “government by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens.” When applied to democracies, it’s not usually a formal label that political scientists assign, but rather a critique: democracies can slide into kakistocracy if voters, institutions, or parties elevate unqualified or corrupt leaders.
Examples sometimes called “kakistocratic democracies” (by critics, journalists, or scholars): - Philippines under Rodrigo Duterte (2016–2022): Critics argued his extrajudicial killings, disregard for human rights, and populist tactics degraded democratic institutions.
- Brazil under Jair Bolsonaro (2019–2022): His anti-science policies during COVID-19, attacks on democratic norms, and environmental destruction led some academics to use the “kakistocracy” label.
- United States during Donald Trump’s presidency (2017–2021): Commentators (including conservative voices like David Frum and liberal outlets like The Atlantic) described the administration as a kakistocracy due to high turnover, corruption charges, and controversial appointments.
- Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe (after it adopted nominal democratic processes): Elections existed but were manipulated, and governance was often described as kleptocratic and kakistocratic.
Who’s to blame? - Voters: In democracies, electorates sometimes support leaders who appeal to fears, emotions, or simple promises rather than competence or integrity.
- Political parties: Weak candidate vetting, corruption, or prioritizing loyalty over skill can elevate unfit leaders.
- Institutions: If courts, legislatures, or watchdog agencies are too weak (or undermined), they fail to check abuse of power.
- Elites & media: Sometimes they enable or normalize poor governance by ignoring corruption or amplifying demagoguery.
?? In short: blame is diffuse—citizens, institutions, and elites all share responsibility when a democracy drifts into kakistocracy.
Would you like me to pull recent (2023–2025) scholarly or journalistic references to democracies currently being called “kakistocracies”? That way I can give you the freshest real-world examples. |
