Advanced Introduction to Political Trust

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.

In this timely book, Kenneth Newton showcases classical and modern theories of political trust, expertly examining it in the wider context of diverse national, social, economic and political conditions.



Newton investigates cutting-edge current research and pathways for future research in the field, presenting empirical studies highlighting political trust’s importance, variations, origins and consequences. He demonstrates that political trust is a useful and highly important symptom, but not a cause, of political conditions. Through exploration of the relationship between political trust and democracy, Newton illustrates that functions often attributed to political trust alone may be carried out by non-political institutions and practices instead.



Key Features:







Global comparative case studies


Comparison of high and low trust nations


In depth examination of relationship between political trust and democracy



The Advanced Introduction to Political Trust is of practical interest to academics and researchers of political science, international relations, regulation and governance, as well as public policy and management.