Familiarity and Trust: Explaining Trust in Government through Ethno-racial Differences

The paper investigates whether generalized trust in government varies among ethnic groups a society. Theories on predominantly explain such institutional by the capabilities and intentions of trusted actors research into is mostly done at individual level measuring characteristics trustee one have explanatory power. Meanwhile this analyzes macro (country) level. Based comparative study 29 countries, argues that there are significant differences between regarding their country‘s effects visible with income inequality Hofstede‘s dimensions national culture, namely ‘power distance‘. This an important finding as it calls for multilevel analyses when explaining trust. Trust not only dependent trustee, but also macro-level variables.