The People Disciplining the State

What are the implications of increasing distrust in the democratic institutions? In this thesis, I will provide an analysis of the organization of distrust on the basis of Pierre Rosanvallon’s theory of counter-democratic mechanisms. I will subsequently combine this theory with Michel Foucault’s analysis of surveillance and discipline. I will conclude that through counter-democratic mechanisms citizens are committed into a disciplining relationship with their political representatives. This analysis creates a deeper understanding of the frustrations within a democracy and also assists in explaining why citizens experience distance towards their political representatives.