Political Malaise and the New Politics of Accountability
Political Malaise and the New Politics of Accountability
Representation, Taxation, and the Social Contract
The chapter explores the sources of the institutional malaise in Brazil under the Workers' Party administration of Dilma Rousseff (2011-2014). The malaise is described as a puzzle considering the overall good performance of the Brazilian economy and the improvements in poverty and inequality. The chapter identifies institutional and non-institutional sources for the malaise. The former includes the functioning of coalition presidentialism, while the latter involve the abuse of the social contract: the low-quality public services citizens get in return to heavy taxation and the misuse of tax revenue due to widespread corruption. The chapter's conclusion is optimistic because it shows that citizens are prepared to pay more taxes in return for better services. Moreover, the strengthening of checks-and-balances institutions points to a gradual and sustainable improvement in government's overall accountability.
Keywords: government accountability, government responsiveness, representation, social contract, taxation, political malaise, demonstrations
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