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When Is Social Trust a Desirable Outcome?

Examining Levels of Trust in the Arab World

Princeton University, New Jersey

Levels of both political and social trust tend to play a crucial role in democracies. Yet we have little understanding of the ways in which trust operates in nondemocratic societies. This article finds that levels of political confidence are linked to generalized trust in both democratic and nondemocratic states. In democracies, then, levels of generalized trust may reinforce existing democratic institutions. In nondemocracies, however, generalized trust may be linked to support for authoritarian patterns of rule. This article argues that although generalized trust serves democracy in democratic settings, it is not linked to democratic forms of political and social engagement in the less democratic states of the Arab world.

Key Words: interpersonal trust • political culture • Arab world • social capital • political development • Islam

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This version was published on November 1, 2007

Comparative Political Studies, Vol. 40, No. 11, 1328-1349 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0010414006291833


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Jamal, A. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?