Trust and governance /

These essays seriously examine the issue of "trust," beginning with a variety of definitions for the term. Even readers skeptical that "trust" has a role in government will find their view represented by Hardin, who argues that trust is actually "encapsulated interest." Whether trust or self-interest, the phenomenon seems to affect government as evidenced by case studies of private investment in China, income tax cheating in the US, and the development of British tax compliance. The specific hows and whys of trust are examined from the perspectives of public shame, payoffs, expected performance, and the perception of common interests. The final section evaluates how trusting may actually increase trustworthiness in government. Of special interest is the opposite claim, that of spiraling "dis-trust," made in a case study of disadvantaged suburbs in Australia. The variety of perspectives offered in this study is impressively helpful to understanding whether and how civic trust matters. The essays are best taken as a whole, since each serves a specific objective in this broadly conceived investigation. As such, the work is well suited to upper undergraduates or graduate students and to political professionals. A. C. Wyman; formerly, Wright State University