Narrowing the trust divide

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54337/ojs.bess.v5i1.8137

Abstract

The Trust Divide is that gap between voters’ expectations of, and their perceived satisfaction with, the performance of politicians and government institutions. It is argued that the Trust Divide continues to widen and trust in democracy is in a consequent decline. This hypothesis is tested by way of interviews with current and former Australian politicians and two rounds of questionnaire-based research directed at social, business and educational contacts across the Anglosphere. A follow-up survey scored voter suggestions (by Importance and Implementability) on reforms aimed at building the operational efficiency and resilience of liberal democracy. Survey results suggest that if liberal democracies are to resist their current adversaries, they would be well advised: to acknowledge the Trust Divide; understand its causes; recognise the risks it poses; implement reforms aimed at restoring voter trust in democracy; and improve the performance of institutions and politicians charged with its care.

Author Biography

Fergus Neilson, Global Access Partners

Fergus Neilson has enjoyed a long career in the military, merchant banking, management consulting and private equity funds management. After retiring from the corporate world, Fergus worked with Global Access Partners (GAP) to establish and operate The Futures Project, accessing crowd wisdom to generate strategic policy options in the energy space. More recently, he returned to academic study at University College London and in November 2022 was awarded an MSc in Political Science (Democracy and Comparative Politics). This was his fourth postgraduate degree in the peripatetic pursuit of continuing (and cross-discipline) education; following on from a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics (UEA 1971), an MA in City and Regional Planning (UBC 1977) and an MBA (Macquarie 1985). Fergus can be described as a generalist, with publications in the Journal of Soil Conservation New South Wales, the Australian Market Researcher, The Sydney Morning Herald and GAP's Open Forum website.

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Published

24-11-2023

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023): Journal of Behavioural Economics and Social Systems

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2023 Fergus Neilson

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