Perceived Corruption and Trust in Government

Abstract

Chapter 4 examines the relationship between perceptions of corruption and trust in government. The analysis begins by reviewing variation in levels of trust over time, and proceeds to an estimation of the relationship between perceptions of corruption and trust, as posited by the Court. This chapter also tests the Court’s assumption that states with more substantial campaign finance regulations will evince greater trust in government. Finally, it examines the related notion—implicitly suggested by the Court’s teleology—that lower levels of campaign spending are likely to be associated with greater trust in government. The data are not consistently supportive of this line of reasoning. After accounting for endogeneity, the empirical model shows that perceived corruption does not have a significant impact on trust in government.