Why People Don't Trust Government / Edition 1

by Joseph S. Nye Jr., Philip D. Zelikow, David C. King

Overview

Confidence in American government has been declining for three decades. Three-quarters of Americans said they trusted the Federal government to do the right thing in 1964. Today, only a quarter do. Why the decline? Is this mistrust a healthy reflection of America's long-lasting skepticism of a strong state? Is mistrust a problem for the future of governance?

Bringing together essays by leading Harvard scholars, this book explores the roots of mistrust. It first examines government's current scope, its actual performance, and citizens' perceptions of its performance. It then assesses many possible explanations that have been offered for the decline of trust, including the end of the Cold War, elevated expectations following World War II, a weakened economy, the effects of globalization, resentment over political scandals, and incompetence of bureaucrats. The book clarifies thinking about the sources of public disaffection.

Mistrust, the contributors find, is largely unrelated to national economic conditions, to challenges of a global economy, to the Cold War, or to bumbling bureaucrats and venal politicians. Rather, they show that the most likely culprits are all around us—an interacting blend of cultural and political conflicts stirred by an increasingly corrosive news media.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674940574
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	10/05/1997
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Joseph S. Nye, Jr., is Dean of the Faculty and Don K. Price Professor of Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Philip D. Zelikow is White Burkett Miller Professor of History at the University of Virginia.

David C. King is Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction: The Decline of Confidence in Government
Joseph S. Nye, Jr.

PART ONE: The Scope and Performance of Government

The Evolving Scope of Government
Ernest R. May

Measuring the Performance of Government
Derek Bok

Fall from Grace: The Public's Loss of Faith in Government
Gary Orren

PART TWO: The Menu of Explanations

Is It Really the Economy Stupid?
Robert Z. Lawrence

Social and Cultural Causes of Dissatisfaction with U.S. Government
Jane Manbridge

The Polarization of American Parties and Mistrust of Government
David C. King

The Politics of Mistrust
Richard E. Neustadt

PART THREE: Data on Public Attitudes toward Governance

Changing Attitudes in America
Robert J. Blendon, John M. Benson, Richard Morin, Drew E. Altman, Mollyann Brodie, Mario Brossard, And Matt James

Postmaterialist Values and the Erosion of Institutional Authority
Ronald Inglehart

Public Trust and Democracy in Japan
Susan J. Pharr

Conclusion: Reflections, Conjectures, and Puzzles
Joseph S. Nye, Jr., and Philip D. Zelikow

Notes

Contributors

Index

What People are Saying About This

The "consent of the governed" is a fine balance between informed skepticism about politicians, and citizen trust in the political system. Too much trust grants politicians too much power; too little disables the body politic. This timely book carefully diagnoses the causes and consequences of eroding trust in government and it stimulates and prepares readers to think seriously about the proper role of government and citizens in America.

Sam Nunn

The "consent of the governed" is a fine balance between informed skepticism about politicians, and citizen trust in the political system. Too much trust grants politicians too much power; too little disables the body politic. This timely book carefully diagnoses the causes and consequences of eroding trust in government and it stimulates and prepares readers to think seriously about the proper role of government and citizens in America.
— Sam Nunn, U.S. Senator, Retired, Georgia

Alan K. Simpson

How many Harvard professors does it take to answer the nagging question of why trust in government has been declining for three decades. About a dozen, apparently! And it is surely quite an accomplishment. Bringing together essays in economics, sociology, history, and political science, Why People Don't Trust Government should fascinate anyone who is concerned about the quality and future of American politics.
— Alan K. Simpson, U.S. Senator, Retired, Wyoming

Editorial Reviews

The "consent of the governed" is a fine balance between informed skepticism about politicians, and citizen trust in the political system. Too much trust grants politicians too much power; too little disables the body politic. This timely book carefully diagnoses the causes and consequences of eroding trust in government and it stimulates and prepares readers to think seriously about the proper role of government and citizens in America.

Sam Nunn

[Why People Don't Trust Government], and its subject matter, are being taken seriously in the highest political circles on both sides of the Atlantic. Nye was among a group of American experts led by Hillary Clinton who recently came to Britain for a seminar on the book attended by, among others, Tony Blair, who left clutching a copy. Nye could hardly be better qualified for his subject. As well as studying government, he has practised it, serving for two years (1977-79) as undersecretary of state for security assistance, science and technology during the Carter administration and then in two posts under Clinton, first as Chairman of the National Intelligence Council and then (1994-95) at defence.

Times Higher Education Supplement - Huw Richards

This is an important book about an important question: Why do Americans distrust their national government more today than they did three decades ago?...[This] volume is likely to be the benchmark book for future studies of dissatisfaction with government...This is the first of several publications that will report results of a multiyear research program, The Visions Project, being undertaken by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Choice - E.C. Dreyer

This book is the best single exploraton of a disturbing phenomenon in American life: a persistent, long-term decline in people's confidence in government. By placing more than a dozen possible explanations under a microscope, the authors have not only sorted out the most likely causes of the decline, but have also formulated a strong agenda for future research. For those seeking to adapt our governmental institutions to a third industrial revolution, as we must, this book provides invaluable understandings.

U.S. News and World Report - David Gergen

How many Harvard professors does it take to answer the nagging question of why trust in government has been declining for three decades. About a dozen, apparently! And it is surely quite an accomplishment. Bringing together essays in economics, sociology, history, and political science, Why People Don't Trust Government should fascinate anyone who is concerned about the quality and future of American politics.

Alan K. Simpson

[Why People Don't Trust Government], and its subject matter, are being taken seriously in the highest political circles on both sides of the Atlantic. Nye was among a group of American experts led by Hillary Clinton who recently came to Britain for a seminar on the book attended by, among others, Tony Blair, who left clutching a copy. Nye could hardly be better qualified for his subject. As well as studying government, he has practised it, serving for two years (1977-79) as undersecretary of state for security assistance, science and technology during the Carter administration and then in two posts under Clinton, first as Chairman of the National Intelligence Council and then (1994-95) at defence.
— Huw Richards

Times Higher Education Supplement

This is an important book about an important question: Why do Americans distrust their national government more today than they did three decades ago?...[This] volume is likely to be the benchmark book for future studies of dissatisfaction with government...This is the first of several publications that will report results of a multiyear research program, The Visions Project, being undertaken by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
— E.C. Dreyer

Choice

This book is the best single exploraton of a disturbing phenomenon in American life: a persistent, long-term decline in people's confidence in government. By placing more than a dozen possible explanations under a microscope, the authors have not only sorted out the most likely causes of the decline, but have also formulated a strong agenda for future research. For those seeking to adapt our governmental institutions to a third industrial revolution, as we must, this book provides invaluable understandings.
— David Gergen, Editor-at-Large

U.S. News and World Report