When Politicians Become Rulers in Democracy
February 21, 2026
In a democracy, power is meant to belong to citizens. Elected leaders and public officials hold authority only as a trust — to serve the public and remain accountable to it. But over time, that relationship can begin to feel reversed.
In this episode of We the People, Surabhi Singh examines how a system built on representation can gradually start to feel like control. Drawing on the ideas of John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, James Madison, Max Weber, Hannah Arendt and Michel Foucault, this explainer looks at how democratic decline often unfolds quietly — through distance, bureaucracy, silence and everyday normalization of authority.
When citizens withdraw from public life, when questioning power feels risky, and when elections are treated as the only moment of participation, public institutions can begin to serve those who hold office rather than those who created them.
This episode explores:
• How accountability weakens in everyday governance
• Why bureaucracy can create psychological distance
• How patronage replaces equal citizenship
• The role of social hierarchy in shaping institutional response
• Why democracy depends on continuous public presence — not just voting
Democracy does not disappear in one dramatic moment. It changes slowly. And often, it changes when citizens stop remembering that power begins with them.