A second aspect of trust – the value of citizens’ critical concern – is at present largely ignored by government. Citizens, businesses and institutions are constantly at the mercy of government in their day-to-day lives. Generally, relations between citizens and the many different arms of government are good. As a rule, the citizen can have confidence in government. However, concrete situations that strain that confidence are important for two reasons. If government fails to respond constructively to complaints or criticism, it risks forfeiting public confidence and also loses a major opportunity to learn from its mistakes. Citizens are becoming increasingly critical in their dealings with government. They demand quality, reliable information and responsiveness. Therefore government has most to gain from encouraging citizens to be both trusting and critical. How can trust be created? The key question is what citizens and government can reasonably expect of each other. The crucial word is ‘reasonably’: is it enough simply to do what the law requires or is more required? What do people expect and what are they entitled to trust government to provide? Authorities should welcome ‘critical citizens’ and find attractive and creative ways of involving them in the implementation of government responsibilities. This will not only strengthen citizens’ confidence in government, but also help build a government that they can trust: that is, a government that is open and transparent, respectful, sympathetic and solutions-oriented, and that behaves fairly and reliably. The views of the National Ombudsman on the most effective mechanism for gaining trust are based on the method he employs in his own work, which relies on the creation of a constructive interface between government and citizen. This interface has three components: personal contact, respectful behaviour, and participatory decision-making. In each of these three areas, government can consistently choose to adopt a trusting attitude. Trust as a basis for personal contact, trust as a consequence of mutual respect, and trust as a precondition for participatory decision-making. A smart authority will use its concrete interactions with citizens to nurture its relationship with them and build trust in government. Conclusions and recommendations | 20 Pagina 19

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