Book Review: “In Praise of Skepticism, Trust But Verify” by Pippa Norris
For the most part, literature claim trust has inevitably beneficial consequences, whether it’s for society, for the economy, for building community, or for building political alliances and bonds. Pippa Norris, a comparative political scientist who has taught at Harvard for three decades, advocates in her new book the need to rethink our explanations of the evidence for making informed and accurate, and reliable judgments about trustworthy relationships. She sets out the arguments and investigates a series of causes in the theory about what causes skeptical trust and then talks about how we can actually strengthen trust or skeptical trust, which she argues, is the most important aspect. (…)
You can read the full book review here:
Book publishing data
“In Praise of Skepticism, Trust but Verify” by Pippa Norris, Oxford University Press, New York, N.Y. 2022, ISBN 9780197530115 (paperback), 82 ISBN 9780197530139 (epub), DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197530108.001.0001
Earlier research by Pippa Norris on trust
Most of Pippa Norris’earlier research work focuses on the relationship between trust and democracy, and how trust in institutions shapes political behavior. One of her main theories is the “trust deficit” theory, which argues that trust in political institutions is declining in many developed democracies. Norris argues that this decline in trust is linked to a range of factors, including economic inequality, political polarization, and the erosion of traditional social bonds. In her book “Democratic Deficit: Critical Citizens Revisited,” she writes “Trust in political institutions is in decline in many developed democracies, and this is linked to a range of factors, including economic inequality, political polarization, and the erosion of traditional social bonds.”
Another theory developed by Norris is the “reciprocal trust” theory, which argues that trust in political institutions is shaped by the actions of those institutions. Norris argues that political institutions that are responsive to citizens’ needs and that provide public goods are more likely to be trusted. In “Democratic Deficit: Critical Citizens Revisited” she also writes “Trust in political institutions is shaped by the actions of those institutions. Political institutions that are responsive to citizens’ needs and that provide public goods are more likely to be trusted.”
Norris conducts her trust research primarily through survey data and quantitative methods. She uses large-scale cross-national surveys such as the World Values Survey, European Values Survey, and Latinobarometro to study trust and political behavior across countries. She also uses experimental methods to study the causal effects of trust on political behavior.
Other publications by Pippa Norris:
- Democratic Deficit: Critical Citizens Revisited
- Digital Divide? Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Internet Worldwide
- A Virtuous Circle: Political Communications in Postindustrial Societies
- Digital Divide? Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Internet Worldwide
- Radical Right: Voters and Parties in the Electoral Market
- Digital Citizen, Digital Voter: The Internet’s Impact on Dem
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