In Praise of Skepticism

Trust is conventionally believed to have many beneficial consequences for citizens and societies. Pippa Norris' In Praise of Skepticism questions the prevalent assumptions underpinning modern accounts of trust. Norris unpacks the concept and advances a new four-fold typology where trust by principals is compared with indicators of the competency, integrity, and impartiality of governments. Drawing on new evidence from the European Values Survey/World Values Survey conducted in more than 100 societies around the world, Norris concludes that the risks arising from too much credulous trust by citizens towards authorities are commonly underestimated.