Analysing the Trust-Transparency Nexus: Multi-level Governance in the UK, France and Germany

Drawing on fieldwork from the UK, France and Germany, this volume addresses the relationship between trust and transparency in the context of multi-level governance.

Is transparency a necessary condition to build and restore citizen and civil society trust in governance and democracy?

Throughout Europe there is a growing demand for effective forms of citizen engagement and decentralisation in policy making to increase trust and engage increasingly diverse populations.

This volume addresses the relationship between trust and transparency in the context of multi-level governance. Drawing on fieldwork from the UK, France and Germany, this comparative analysis examines different efforts to build trust between key actors involved in decision making at the sub-national level. It outlines the challenges of delivering this agenda and explores the paradox that trust might require transparency, yet in some instances transparency may undermine trust.