Coproduction and trust in government: evidence from survey experiments

Abstract

ABSTRACTWhile previous research has investigated how coproduction can improve the quality and efficiency of public services, less is known about its effects on how citizens view government. Thus, we investigate how coproduction may influence trust in government using a series of survey experiments. Although our main results are generally in the expected direction, they are not significant statistically and thus suggest little or no causal effect of coproduction on trust. Limitations of our approach, as well as directions for future experimental research along these lines, are discussed.