Trust norms as hope for a trustworthy government

Valerie Braithwaite

Chapter 15 in Handbook on Trust in Public Governance, 2025, pp 233-257 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Trust norms are shared social understandings of what we must do to be trustworthy and have others gift their trust to us (Braithwaite, 1998a). When citizens or government breach trust norms, the trust-trustworthiness dynamic spirals downward. Reversing this spiral requires public acknowledgement of the breach and an active process to affirm trust norms, repair damage, and, when necessary, undertake structural reform to prevent future harm. Actioning trust norms is an olive branch for resetting the trust-trustworthiness relationship for most people, most of the time. But trust norms lose potency among a minority who have slipped into motivational postures of game playing and disengagement (dismissive defiance). Citizen engagement with government then can be reduced to transactions involving special deals and coercion. Too much dismissive defiance may wear down public hope for democratic governance with integrity and cooperation, opening the door to authoritarian rule.

Keywords: Trust norms; Trustworthiness; Social capital; Motivational postures; Dismissive defiance; Public cooperation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781802201390
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