Abstract
Trust, which is essential for democracy, is eroded by social inequality. Contrary to Putnam’s argument, it is good government (effective governments) that gives rise to civic politics, and not civic politics that give rise to good government. This has implications for many of the developing countries where government corruption stands as a barrier to social equity and trust.
This contribution draws on and extends the argument developed by McNall (2015) in Chapter 1.
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McNall, S.G. (2016). What Have Eggs Got to Do with Inequality?. In: Machin, A., Stehr, N. (eds) Understanding Inequality: Social Costs and Benefits. zu | schriften der Zeppelin Universität. zwischen Wirtschaft, Kultur und Politik. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-11663-7_4
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