Many western countries are living through a deterioration in trust in political leaders, parties and in national and international institutions: this was the premise of a Ditchley conference in December 2019 and it was picked up again in a small group discussion at Ditchley on the evening of 2 November. What does it mean for citizens to lose trust in the institutions that currently underpin democracies? What have been the main sources of trust to emerge so far in the pandemic? Is trust really what we are trying to get at, or is it really something else - capacity, competence, knowledge, delivery, morality, mission?
The following points were made:
A decline in shame: Alongside a loss in trust has been a rise in shamelessness.
Earning trust - delivery and competence: What happens when the basic infrastructure of everyday life is eroded by failures in basic delivery?
Constitutions, structures, frameworks: It is the constitutional and institutional frameworks that set the basis for trust and structure society.
Some things are working well: The response to COVID-19 has revealed much that is positive:
Shared purpose and mission: The basis of trust is often found in a shared purpose and joint action.
A more in depth summary can be found here.