Treating the public as an extension of government – a means to halt declining trust

The importance of public trust in government

Trust is critical to any relationship, including the relationship between a government and its citizens. Indeed, the existence or absence of trust can affect how the public views a government, its agenda and its responses to societal problems. A high level of trust is likely to lead to support, affirmation and co-operation whereas low levels of trust may lead to resistance, opposition and confrontation. The practical implications of a lack of public trust are likely to be particularly profound when a government is seeking to address a problem that goes to the heart of a well-functioning society, like high levels of unemployment, climate change or national security.

There is little doubt that public trust in government is declining around the world, including in well-established democracies. Among other things, dwindling trust is linked to a perception that government is not adequately accountable to the public. This perception is likely to be associated, at least in part, with government’s traditional technocratic approach to problem-solving that is based on the assumption that only government has the knowledge, capacity and expertise to understand and effectively respond to problems facing society. An approach that is founded on engagement with the public is an alternative to a technocratic approach.

Functions and forms of public engagement

In fact, public engagement is one way to halt declining trust and, if done well and authentically, can help to actively build trust. Public engagement can enable government to access important views, perspectives and information from the public. This can, in turn, help government better understand problems and craft solutions that are more likely to work in practice. Public engagement can also help to ensure that the public is front and centre of government decision-making, which may enhance the government’s legitimacy and create a sense of shared public-government ownership in solutions. And it can also help serve as a checks and balance mechanism and moderate opposing interests, perspectives and incentives.

There is a spectrum of forms that public engagement can take. At one end of the spectrum, public engagement may entail a government being open about what it is doing and why. At the other end of the spectrum, public engagement may involve the government empowering the public to independently craft and implement a solution to a problem.

Piercing the technocratic bubble

Metaphorically, public engagement mechanisms can be viewed as having the effect of piercing the technocratic bubble, to provide visibility and access for the public. It is akin to the government stretching its hand out to its citizens and treating them as partners and collaborators, rather than subjects.

Nevertheless, designing and implementing effective public engagement mechanisms is challenging. If done poorly, public engagement exercises can lead to inefficiency, imbalanced representation and regulatory capture but when done well, it has the capacity to transform the public’s disposition towards the government, its agenda and its actions. Moreover, an approach to government that is founded on public engagement takes us back to the very origins of democracy which, by definition, involves “rule by the people”.

References

OECD (2017) How Better Governance Can Help Rebuild Public Trust

Institute of Public Administration Australia (2011) The Future Course of Modern Government, An IPAA Policy Paper

Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (2015) Public Participation in Government Decision-making: Better Practice Guide