Perspectives on Politics · 2006 · 674 citations · 0 references
Public AffairsPolitical SciencePublic PolicyAmerican PoliticsPolicy AnalysisPolitical EconomyPension PolicyPolitical TrustPublic TrustRetirement Security PolicySocial Security PaymentsSocial Security PolicyPublic Employee PensionsPublic Pension PolicySocial Policy HistorySocial Protection ExpenditureSocial Security HistorySocial Security PrivatizationSocial Welfare SpendingTrust Decline
The book argues that declining political trust has undermined American liberalism, noting that despite long‑standing public support for programs like Social Security, trust in government has eroded over time. The author finds that President George W. Bush’s attempts to privatize Social Security failed, illustrating the limits of reform amid low trust and anti‑tax sentiment.
Why Trust Matters: Declining Political Trust and the Demise of American Liberalism. By Marc J. Hetherington. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2004. 208p. $35.00.Fifteen years after the signing of the Social Security Act, this already broad government program was expanded. With the amendments of 1950, an additional 10 million additional people were covered, including some of the poorest—domestic and agricultural workers. By using the payroll tax to support Social Security payments, citizens saw the program as one to which they contributed and from which they should receive. Even in very different times 55 years later, Americans continued to support this approach to public pensions. Despite comparatively low levels of trust in government and decades of antitax and antigovernment movement successes, President George W. Bush's efforts to privatize Social Security fell flat.