What is trust? Can trust be boosted through regulation? What role does leadership play in rebuilding trust? How does trust and confidence affect public services? The chapters in this collection explore these questions across several countries and different sectors of public service provision: health, education, social services, the police, and the third sector. The contributions offer empirical evidence about how the issues of trust and confidence differ across countries and sectors, and develop ideas about how trust and confidence in government and public services may adjust in the information age.

1. Introduction: Trust and Confidence in Government and Public Services Sue Llewellyn, Stephen Brookes and Ann Mahon Part I: Understanding Trust and Confidence 2. How Do Trust and Confidence Affect the Governing of America? Larry Lynn Jr. 3. Evidence-based Trust: A Contradiction in Terms? Christopher Pollitt and Naomi Chambers 4. Trust and Networks Erik Hans Klijn and Jasper Eshuis Part II: Trust in Government and Major Public Institutions 5. Trust in Government, Performance Information and Democracy Stephen Greasley 6. Why Do Politicians Reform? Do They Know Something about the Drivers of Trust in Government? Nick Manning and Alejandro Guerrero 7. The British Broadcasting Corporation: A Trusted Institution? Greg Dyke and Nick Clifford 8. Trust between the UK Government, the Nation and its Armed Forces: the Military Covenant Mike Dunn 9. Trust at the Interface between the Third and Public Sectors Alex Murdock Part III: Trust and Citizens' Confidence in Public Services 10. Relationships in Healthcare: Trust in Transition? Ann Mahon 11. Public Trust and Education: Teachers and their Work Helen Gunter and David Hall 12. Trust and Control in Children's Services Adina Dudau and Georgios Kominis 13. Public Trust in Policing Stephen Brookes and Peter Fahy Part IV: Conclusion 14. Conclusion Trust and Confidence in Government and Public Services: Emergent Themes Sue Llewellyn, Stephen Brookes and Ann Mahon

Sue Llewellyn is Professor of Accountability and Management Control and Director of the Herbert Simon Institute at Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK.

Stephen Brookes is a Senior Fellow in Public Policy and Management and Head of the Innovation in Government subject group at Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK. He is editor (with K. Grint) of The New Public Leadership Challenge (2010).

Ann Mahon is a Senior Fellow in Healthcare and Public Sector Management at Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK. She is editor (with K. Walshe and N. Chambers) of A Reader in Health Policy and Management (2009).