Governing in an Age of Distrust

Despite the existence of a large literature on themes relating to trust and distrust in politics, there has been no sustained research that directly engages with the primary objects of trust: politicians. This is an intriguing blind spot in political science that leaves us without any understanding of how politicians appraise a contemporary climate of extreme or generalised distrust or indeed how the existence of a low-trust/high-blame environment affects their decision-making and the quality of public governance.

Governing in an Age of Distrust tackles this important gap head on by asking not only whether the public trusts in politicians, but also whether politicians accurately perceive and act upon the trust placed in them. In doing so, Weinberg draws on unique survey and interview data gathered from nationally and locally elected politicians in different countries that have faced a crisis of political trust in recent decades - principally the United Kingdom, Canada, and South Africa. The work identifies different types of ’political trustees’ and subsequently analyses the relationship between perceptions of trust and a variety of outcomes such as politicians’ blame avoidance behaviour and personal wellbeing. Taking a new and innovative approach to research on trust and elite political behaviour, the author tackles questions that are arguably of paramount importance if we are to understand when, why, and how politicians do or do not deliver on the promise of democracy.

James Weinberg, Assistant Professor, University of Sheffield

Dr James Weinberg is an academic in the Department of Politics at the University of Sheffield with an international reputation for publishing rigorous research on specialist topics in the field of political behaviour. He has held grants from a range of funding bodies such as the ESRC, Leverhulme Trust, and Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, and he routinely gives guest lectures and media interviews about his research. In 2022, the Apolitical Foundation named him on a global list of ’50 influential researchers whose work might help to shape 21st century politicians’.