The multifaceted nature of trust in the uptake of advice: policy advice utilization in ministerial cabinets

Abstract

ABSTRACT What makes policy advice circulate more easily towards the apex of governments and shape the opinions of its users along the way? This article investigates the utilization of policy advice in ministerial cabinets, by focusing on the individuals appointed to work as closest aides of ministers: ministerial advisers. While we know quite a lot about the operation of policy advisory systems at the macro and meso levels, the micro-dispositions affecting the circulation and utilization of policy advice are under-researched topics. Building on recent research waves on policy advice and policy advisory systems, we expect that trust between ministerial advisers and their advice-suppliers is a pivotal driver of policy advice utilization. Based on an original survey conducted in the ministerial cabinets of French-speaking Belgium, this article provides evidence that ministerial advisers’ overall propensity to trust advice-suppliers tends to boost policy advice utilization. Yet, we show that the characteristics of advice suppliers also come into play in advisory relationships and that ministerial advisers have various needs in that regard, depending on them being high or low trust individuals. Our findings speak to the importance of paying attention to relational dynamics and informality in policy advising.