Încrederea cetățenilor în instituțiile publice. O perspectivă teoretică

Abstract

An important problem of democratic societies is citizens’ mistrust in government, which causes multiple problems, such as lower level of citizens’ compliance with public policies, increasing corruption and decreasing turnout to vote. In this context, the paper aims to analyze the concept of trust in public institutions, with an emphasis on the drivers of trust in public institutions. In particular, the analysis will focus on three elements which were reported by scholars as being important drivers of trust: competence on solving public problems, care for citizens’ problems and needs, and honesty of public officials. The analysis will focus on the perception on competence, effectiveness or expertise of public institutions as an important driver of their trustworthiness. In addition, we will analyze the ethical dimensions of trustworthiness, such as benevolence, intention of government to act and care for citizens. The honesty of public officials is an important component of trust, and it encompasses telling the truth and keeping promises. The paper will briefly conclude on the consequences of citizens’ trust on the performance of public institutions.