ARI Working Paper Series

Evidence that political trust is in decline in established democracies seems conclusive, but there is less clarity about trends in political values in poor developing country democracies. This paper attempts to shed some light on the determinants of political trust in poor developing countries. It does so by exploring findings of unexpected levels of political trust among poor Bangladeshis in original research conducted in 2005, set against an exploration of how larger global debates about the cultural and institutional factors that shape political trust relate to poor developing country democracies. The paper finds that there remain significant limits to poor citizens’ capacities for independent evaluation of governmental performance. However, political trust among poor Bangladeshi citizens appears to have been rational and meaningful in a context in which democratic government had proven to be comparatively effective in promoting their material welfare. The paper concludes that the Bangladesh case may shed light on political trust among poor developing country citizens by demonstrating that regardless of absolute levels of material welfare, perceived positive trends in the capacities and willingness of governments to improve material welfare for the poor may be a significant determinant of political trust in poor countries.