Author: Denise Kamgaing
When public health crises like the man-made water emergency in Flint, Michigan, which
disproportionately devastated a low-income, majority-Black community, coincide with racial
disparities, such as mortality rates among Black residents in Orleans Parish post-Hurricane
Katrina soaring 1.7 to 4 times higher than those of white residents, public faith in institutions
naturally starts to decrease. The recent Harvard Youth Poll statistics reveal a widespread crisis of
trust among American youth in the U.S. government, highlighting a cycle of systemic inequality
in the United States that hurts civil society.
In a perfect democracy, the government works for the people and is elected by the people.
Citizens vote for candidates who align with what they want to improve in their community,
trusting that representatives are working toward those goals. Unfortunately, politicians
sometimes have different agendas. In "Return of the Citizen," Will Kymlicka and Wayne
Norman state that “citizens may use their power irresponsibly by pushing for benefits and
entitlements they cannot ultimately afford, or by voting themselves tax breaks and slashing
assistance to the needy,” ultimately abusing their power. When voting citizens witness this abuse
of power, it is discouraging. That dynamic drives the lowered trust in government shown in the
Harvard poll, alongside a decline in civic participation.
This issue extends beyond the United States; many countries experience deep distrust in their
government. Cameroon, for example, is a democratic state on paper that holds recurring
elections, yet it has had the same president, Paul Biya, for over forty years and only two
presidents in total since gaining independence in 1960. During elections, citizens face bribery or
threats at the polls, leading many to avoid voting because they expect their ballots will not
change anything. These citizens want better governance, but when they vote and see no change
for years, it results in a less involved civil society.
A systemic history of inequality heavily influences an individual's efforts to engage in civil
society. When communities observe incidents such as the Flint water crisis or Orleans Parish's
mortality disparities time and time again, the reality is discouraging. Citizens do want to change
and often go out to vote, but their daily lives remain in the hands of the people in power.
For Model United Nations (MUN) delegates particularly those addressing Sustainable
Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), this dynamic is critical.
International resolutions and policy frameworks rely on domestic institutions to execute them.
When populations lose trust in their institutions due to systemic neglect or electoral corruption,
policy implementation fails on the ground. Understanding that civic disengagement stems from
structural failures rather than voter apathy allow delegates to draft realistic mechanisms for
institutional accountability and civil society oversight.
References:
Brunkard, Joan, Gena Namulanda, and Raoult Ratard. 2008. "Hurricane Katrina Deaths,
Louisiana, 2005." Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness 2, no. 4: 215–23.
https://doi.org/10.1097/DMP.0b013e31818aaf55.
Harvard Institute of Politics. 2025. The Harvard Youth Poll: 51st Edition (Fall 2025).
Cambridge, MA: Harvard Kennedy School. https://iop.harvard.edu/youth-poll/51st-
edition-fall-2025.
Kilpatrick, S. K., K. W. Bauer, N. Heard-Garris, A. M. Malone, C. M. Abdou, H. M. Weeks, M.
Clayson, K. L. Allgood, D. Dokshina, and B. L. Needham. 2023. "Experiences of the
Flint Water Crisis Among Reproductive-Age Michigan Women in Communities Outside
of Flint: Differences by Race and Ethnicity." Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health
Disparities 10, no. 3: 993–1005. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-022-01287-6.
Kymlicka, Will, and Wayne Norman. 1994. "Return of the Citizen: A Survey of Recent Work on
Citizenship Theory." Ethics 104, no. 2: 352–81
