Disaffected Democracies

"Robert Putnam and his associates have attacked head-on a question that disturbs many of usthe sense that trust long established in democratic governments seems to be eroding right at the time that the ideology of a democratic market system has swept the world. The authors make it evident that the answers aren't uniform among countries or easy. But their work also goes a long way toward putting the evidence, disturbing as it is, in broad perspective, a perspective essential for those who are working toward necessary reforms and new approaches."Paul A. Volcker, North American Chairman, Trilateral Commission "Susan Pharr and Robert Putnam have done a superb job not only of tracing the decline in public confidence in government performance in the established democracies over the past quarter-century but also of exploring how this disturbing trend can be explained. This book is certain to be widely discussed by scholars and policy makers concerned with the future of democratic government."Marc F. Plattner, Director, International Forum for Democratic Studies "Disaffected Democracies provides a thoughtful and wise analysis of the present state of democracy in the Trilateral countries. . . . [It] will be indispensable reading, both for active politicians and others in public life, and for students of international relations and political science."Shirley Williams, British House of Lords "Anyone who wants to understand the state of the art on this matter should, and I hope will, read this book. There is simply no other work like it."Robert A. Dahl, Yale University

Susan J. Pharr is Edwin O. Reischauer Professor of Japanese Politics at Harvard University. She is the author of Political Women in Japan: The Search for a Place in Political Life and Losing Face: Status Politics in Japan. Robert D. Putnam is Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University. He is author of Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy (Princeton) and Bowling Alone: Decline and Renewal of the American Community.

List of Tables and Figures ix Preface Susan J. Pharr and Robert D. Putnam xv Foreword Samuel P. Huntington xxiii CHAPTER ONE Introduction: What's Troubling the Trilateral Democracies? Robert D. Putnam, Susan J. Pharr, and Russell J. Dalton 3 PART I. Declining Performance of Democratic Institutions CHAPTER TWO The Public Trust Russell Hardin 31 CHAPTER THREE Confidence in Public Institutions: Faith, Culture, or Performance? Kenneth Newton and Pippa Norris 52 CHAPTER FOUR Distrust of Government: Explaining American Exceptionalism Anthony King 74 PART II. Sources of the Problem: Declining Capacity CHAPTER FIVE Interdependence and Democratic Legitimation Fritz W Scharpf 101 CHAPTER SIX Confidence, Trust, International Relations, and Lessons from Smaller Democracies Peter J. Katzenstein 121 CHAPTER SEVEN The Economics of Civic Trust Alberto Alesina and Romain Wamiarg 149 PART III. Sources of the Problem: Erosion of Fidelity CHAPTER EIGHT Officials' Misconduct and Public Distrust: Japan and the Trilateral Democracies Susan J. Pharr 173 CHAPTER NINE Social Capital, Beliefs in Government, and Political Corruption Donatella della Porta 202 PART IV. Sources of the Problem: Cbanges in Information and Criteria of Evaluation CHAPTER TEN The Impact of Television on Civic Malaise Pippa Norris 231 CHAPTER ELEVEN Value Change and Democracy Russell J. Dalton 252 CHAPTER TWELVE Mad Cows and Social Activists: Contentious Politics in the Trilateral Democracies Sidney Tarrow 270 CHAPTER THIRTEEN Political Mistrust and Party Dealignment in Japan Hideo Otake 291 Afterword Ralf Dahrendorf 311 Appendix: The Major Cross-National Opinion Surveys Russell J. Dalton 315 Bibliograpby 319 Contributors 347 Index 349