MAINTAINING AND RESTORING PUBLIC TRUST IN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND THEIR EMPLOYEES

The decline of public trust in government in the United States is well documented. We know comparatively little, however about how to mainta in or restore the public's trust This article attempts to advance our understanding of trust in government by addressing a relatively narrow question: How can we create maintain, or restore public trust in gove rnment agencies and their employees? The article reviews several conce ptions of trust and lays out a series of hypotheses regarding means fo r building and maintaining public trust. Although the hypotheses have not been empirically tested, they an grounded in well-established soci al science theories and suggest several avenues for future research.