Modern institutions between trust and fear: elements for an interpretation of legitimation through expertise

Sandro Busso ()

Mind & Society: Cognitive Studies in Economics and Social Sciences, 2014, vol. 13, issue 2, 247-256

Abstract: The article deals with the ambiguous relation between fear and expertise, and examines how it affects institutions’ legitimation. In contemporary societies the so-called expert systems can be considered as powerful trust creators. However their power can also cause fear, as their control over the majority of everyday life tasks can have a “disabling” effect on lay people. This double-edged role deeply influences the relation between citizens and institutions, the latter considerably relying on expertise in order to be perceived as rational actors. Fear, therefore, can be considered as a central element in determining the legitimacy of institutions in modern societies. Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014

Keywords: Fear; Expertise; Legitimacy; Institutions; Modernization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1007/s11299-014-0153-9

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