Analysing the Trust-Transparency Nexus - (Civil Society and Social Change) by Ian Stafford & Alistair Cole & Dominic Heinz (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Is transparency a necessary condition to build and restore citizen and civil society trust in governance and democracy?

Throughout Europe, there is a growing demand for effective forms of citizen engagement and decentralisation in policy-making to increase trust and engage increasingly diverse populations.

This volume addresses the relationship between trust and transparency in the context of multi-level governance. Drawing on fieldwork from the UK, France and Germany, this comparative analysis examines different efforts to build trust between key actors involved in decision-making at the sub-national level. It outlines the challenges of delivering this agenda and explores the paradox that trust might require transparency, yet in some instances transparency may undermine trust.

Review Quotes

"This book explores the dynamics between transparency and trust through thick description of vertical and horizontal relationships between levels of government and civil society actors in two regions in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Stafford, Cole, and Heinz offer highly innovative research by moving beyond methodological nationalism that characterises most research on trust and transparency." Arjan H. Schakel, University of Bergen

About the Author

Ian Stafford is Senior Lecturer in Politics at Cardiff University, Wales.

Alistair Cole is Professor of Politics and Head of the Department of Government and International Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University.

Dominic Heinz is Lecturer for the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) at Turkish-German University in Istanbul.