If you haven’t heard, everyone is dumping on government these days. And it’s not just Republicans: if it’s not a high profile wine from any fill-in-the-blank-here GOP House or Senate lawmaker (who, incidentally, will have little problem drawing an annual six-figure salary from … the federal government) then it’s us in our daily routines bashing the tax dent in our paychecks or the “incompetent” bureaucrats administrating a range of key services. Obviously, government these days doesn’t help its case. Brookings fellow Paul C. Light talks about government as a “cascade of failures” in his latest research:
In essence, we don’t like government. We went from a high of 78% trust in government in 1958 to a dismal and awfully disconcerting 19% trust in government in 2013, see Pew:
Gallup offers similar assessment, breaking down our trust numbers by branches of government. Not surprisingly, the legislative branch gets the lowest trust number at 34% – mostly Republican-induced gridlock in Congress fulfilling the conservative prophecy of “dysfunctional government” – compared to the executive branch at 51% and the judicial branch at 62%:
A Rasmussen poll (usually described as “Republican-leaning”) from April – somewhat predictably – tells us that 37% of Americans actually “fear” the federal government with “… 54% consider[ing] the federal government today a threat to individual liberty rather than a protector.”
We’re comfortably shifting into a generally accepted mindset that businesses or the private sector can govern better. If you think that sounds like something out of a dystopic sci-fi series, look no farther than a 2013 Public Affairs Council survey on which is better or which should provide key services:
An Edelman global 2014 Trust Barometer of 27 developed countries (including the United States) dropped in January also showed “historic” trust-in-government lows:
One of the more pronounced dips was in the United States where trust in government fell 16 percentage points to 37%. Globally, 79% felt business should be playing a greater role in shaping policy and 84% believe business can do good … while working to increase its profit margins.
Considering the central role technology now plays in economic growth, accounting for a huge slice of GDP, frigid perceptions of government are fed by an emerging mindset that technology can do it better or a world where Silicon Valley – along with its innovations – can possibly run it.
Presidential hopefuls for 2016 are making frequent fundraising sojourns to technology kingdoms in a bid to lock nominations, the most recent visits from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Freshly anointed House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), eager to translate leverage in his home into a base of power on Capitol Hill, frequently huddles with tech titans on an almost monthly basis. Politically, it’s not only a good move, but it’s an essential move for any candidate or elected official: the innovation sector has now outpaced the defense industry in terms of lobbying and campaign contribution influence in Washington. And it’s a smart move when making a big play for Millenial voting blocs in the next election.
But, so intense is Paul’s love affair with Silicon Valley that he’ll make every effort to publicly scorn and ostracize government as an enemy of innovation. “I have nothing but optimism when I’m out here because I see amazing potential for growth away from the disaster that is Washington. I don’t have to think there has to be a governmental solution for everything,” Paul was quoted as saying by the LA Times. “… Don’t be depressed with how bad government is. Use your ingenuity, use your big head to think of solutions the marketplace can figure out, that the idiots and trolls in Washington will never come up with.”
The private sector, buoyed by technology, is seen as society’s go-to retired general or quick-fix-it guy. If a federal agency or program needs overhauling or a local school district needs revamping, there’s a performance measurement, app, or tech-inspired matrix for that. We’ve become very deft in advancing that model in the pursuit of the ultra-efficient, low-overhead organization.
These trends – and statements like Paul’s above – should be especially alarming to people of color, particularly African Americans given the dramatic history of turning to the federal government as a somewhat reliable enforcer of civil rights and equity. No surprise that Black trust in government is much higher than White trust in the same – although Latinos show higher rates of trust in the most recent polling on the question, according to Pew:
Using private sector innovation to enhance or rehabilitate government function is not really a bad thing. However, there are serious consequences to consider when its role is elevated from the tactical to the strategic and visionary at a time of growing animosity towards government – and an era beset by bad governance. There is a problem in viewing technology or the innovation sector as a reliable governance model substitute. That’s somewhat troublesome in an increasingly uncertain and economically tenuous world in which income disparities are widening. The standard of living is rapidly increasing due to inflationary pressures and a planet still resetting itself in the wake of economic meltdown.
As a result, the innovation sector should be partnering with government (and vice versa) rather than allowing itself to be put on a path towards replacing it. There’s no hard data to show Silicon Valley (and its hipster culture) actually cares about the challenges faced by populations that have traditionally turned to government as an arbiter of fairness. While new advances in innovation and organizational development should naturally inspire a collective move to greater institutional competence, there is mounting evidence to the contrary on the question of innovation sector empathy towards underserved populations.
CHARLES D. ELLISON is a veteran political strategist and Chief Political Correspondent for UPTOWN Magazine. He is also Washington Correspondent for The Philadelphia Tribune and a frequent contributor for The Root. He can be reached via Twitter @charlesdellison