Trust in institutions and governance

This chapter focuses on the practical and epistemic benefits made possible or more likely by warranted trust. Small-scale groups in which everyone knows everyone can sustain the transitivity of trust among all their members. When a distrusted institution has, however, changed its ways and has become trustworthy, it can help to include other more trusted actors in decision-making or information provision to signal this trustworthiness. The chapter describes mechanisms that can build or undermine trust in the context of institutions and governance, using large, potentially risky, energy technology projects as an exemplary case. When corporations, institutions and governments do make serious and public efforts both to be and to appear trustworthy, it is reasonable for citizens to react with distrust and take action to prevent the implementation of risky new technologies.