The Origins and Consequences of Public Trust in Government

2000 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia A. Chanley ◽  
Thomas J. Rudolph ◽  
Wendy M. Rahn
Keyword(s):  
Public Trust ◽  
Trust In Government

By Popular Demand: Revitalizing Representative Democracy Through Deliberative Elections By John Gastil. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. 275p. $48.00 cloth, $18.95 paper.

2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 637-638
Author(s):  
Christopher Wlezien
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Public Opinion ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Campaign Finance ◽  
Public Trust ◽  
The State ◽  
University Of California ◽  
Trust In Government ◽  
American Democracy ◽  
Over Time

A growing chorus of academics, journalists, and politicos alike bemoans the state of American democracy. The symptoms are well known. Public trust in government has declined over time, the stock of social capital has shrunk, and turnout remains low. Some observers even argue that politicians now are less responsive to public opinion on various issues. Perhaps understandably, there is increasing pressure for reform of the electoral process, including campaign finance, the conduct of campaigns, media coverage of campaigns, and election rules themselves. In By Popular Demand, John Gastil joins the call for reform, but in an original and provocative way.

Declining Trust in Congress: Effects of Polarization and Consequences for Democracy

The Forum ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Public Trust ◽  
Downward Trend ◽  
Trust In Government ◽  
Political Consequences ◽  
Party Polarization ◽  
Dramatic Decline ◽  
Legislative Branch ◽  
Trends Over Time ◽  
Over Time

AbstractWhy has Congress, once a widely trusted institution, experienced such a uniquely dramatic decline in the public’s confidence, and what are the consequences for democracy? This article sets out to systematically address these questions. First, I discuss how we can gauge Americans’ levels of trust in Congress. Second, I examine trends over time in public trust in Congress, looking both partisan differences within this measure, and also overall differences in comparison to other institutions. Third, I examine various ways in which the much-noted rise in party polarization in Congress might explain the downward trend in Americans’ trust in that institution. Finally, I explore one potentially important consequence of declining trust in the legislative branch: Americans’ willingness to obey laws. The results suggest that those interested in the problem of declining trust in government would be wise to focus their attention on Congress. Compared to other institutions, the problem in Congress appears more severe, more intractable, and carries greater political consequences.

scholarly journals Trust in government in times of economic crisis

2016 ◽  
pp. 111-126
Author(s):  
Robert Sobiech
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Public Trust ◽  
Trust In Government ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Evaluation ◽  
Public Debates ◽  
The Government

The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of the existing studies concerning the phenomenon of public trust in government. Low trust in government has been frequently defined as a key problem influencing the policy process in many countries. The economic crises reinforced the importance of trust and triggered public debates on the necessary reforms of the public sector. The paper examines the key theories and research conducted by social scientists with a particular emphasis on the role of trust in risk societies. The review of the existing literature concentrates on the drivers of trust, showing the importance of two interlinked logics: the logic of consequences (the performance approach) and the logic of appropriateness (the process approach). The first one explains trust as a result of outputs and outcomes of government policies and services. The logic of appropriateness claims that trust is built on values and identity and depends on the adoption by governments the rules of integrity, openness, responsiveness and transparency. Trust in government is also deeply rooted in a broader system of rules, norms andvalues known as the trust culture. The last part of the paper is an attempt to trace an impact of an economic crisis on public trust. Studies of public opinion do not fully confirm the opinions on low trust and a decline in trust in government and trust in public administration in times of crisis. Some studies reveal considerable fluctuations of public trust in selected countries. In other countries, the public evaluation of government and public administration is high and there are only slight modifications in citizens’ perception of the government.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document