Editing Distrust (section)

==In systems of government==
An [[electoral system]] inevitably is based on distrust, but not on mistrust. Parties [[compete]] in the system, but they do not compete to [[Subversion (politics)|subvert]] the system itself, or gain bad faith advantage through it—if they do they are easily caught by the others. Much mistrust does exist between parties, and it is exactly this which motivates putting in place a [[formal system]] of distrust. [[Diplomatic protocol]] for instance, which applies between [[Sovereign state|states]], relies on such means as [[formal disapproval]] which in effect say "we do not trust that person". It also tends to rely on a strict etiquette—distrusting each person's habits to signal their intent, and instead relying on a global standard for [[behaviour]] in sensitive social settings.

[[Corporate governance]] relies on distrust insofar as the board is not to trust the reports it receives from [[management]], but is empowered to investigate them, challenge them, and otherwise act on behalf of [[shareholder]]s vs. [[Management|managers]]. The fact that they rarely or never do so in most American companies is a sign that the distrust relationship has broken down—[[accounting scandal]]s and calls for [[accounting reform]] are the inevitable result. It is precisely to avoid such larger crises of trust in "the [[system]]" that formal distrust measures are put in place to begin with.