Enacting Policies for the Wellbeing of Its Citizens Trusting the Government

Trusting the Government to Enact Policies for the Wellbeing of Its Citizens

Trust in the government refers to the public holding a positive perception of its actions. The citizen’s subjective view of the government is based on their judgment of what is considered fair and right, and trust is at optimum at the point of unity with the government’s actions are aligned to this perception. Trust is based on two foundational attributes that are delivering on the government policies with competence and at all times, and having good intentions for the public while doing so (Cheema & Popovski, 2010). Since the determination of what is fair and right varies among different individuals, the government’s judgment needs to be compared with government functions (Eggers et al., 2021). The government’s intent refers to the meaning leaders bear in mind for taking actions. The intention is perceived to come from empathy and taking a genuine interest in the needs and wants of citizens. The determination of the government’s actions is informed by the needs of the people and the election of government actors to execute policies that target the wellbeing of citizens in a democratic process.

The institutional structure of government is informed by the need to make the interaction with government accessible geographically. The political system of creation of government operates at different levels. The core concept in the organization of government is decentralization. Decentralization takes different approaches depending on the nature of administration, either unitary or the federal system. The federal system holds decentralization is implemented through the transfer of authority on a geographic basis. The decentralization may be of administrative authority to field units of the same department or level of government (Simon et al., 2011). The devolution is also realized through creating a hierarchy in the political devolution of authority to special statutory bodies or local government units. However, the arms of government at different levels should not be perceived to work as separate political communities rather as a community in agreement to work collectively to create joint policies, solutions, decision making joint decisions to joint problems. Conversely, each arm must be identified as a sovereign entity that serves specific functions that the citizens can critique.

The arms of government, the executive, judiciary, and legislature, have their autonomy that is enshrined in the extent of power they can exercise. The constitution also stipulates the ideal responsibilities of each arm of government in conducting power checks and balances. Interactions between the arms of government and the government and the citizens determine the perception of the government and the intent of its actors (Simon et al., 2011). Observing the limitations in the exercise of power within the stipulated guidelines in the constitution defines its legitimacy and contributes to the trust in a government. The government’s relationship at different levels with actors in a federal state, such as interest groups, media, parties, and the voting public, contributes to the perception of government actors’ intent while making decisions.

The role of parliament is to ensure that all other arms of government implement their functions competently and within their limits to exercise power. Parliament has the power to exercise the oversight role of the executive and judiciary. The parliament is trusted to conduct an accountability check of itself. These responsibilities have been accomplished in democratic states through a bicameral parliament with different powers and can hold each other accountable. The bills can only be passed after being subject to debate and approval in both parliaments (Simon et al., 2011). Specific parliamentary are also tasked with the responsibility to conduct checks and balances of other arms of government and within parliament, such as the Public Investment Committee and the Public Accounts Committee. The actors in these positions serve the administrative responsibilities and serve the political interests of their electorate and political parties.

Citizens rely on trust signals that include humanity, transparency, reliability, and capability in the government’s execution of its mandates and engagement with the electorate. Actors in a state, such as civil rights movements and the media, act as points of engagement with the government and the electorate to facilitate communication of the state of fairs. These entities take the role often is intended to critique the government actions or lack thereof on core issues in the society (OECD, 2021). Notably, the way the government conducts itself regarding such criticism affects the perception of the intent of the government’s actions (Cheema & Popovski, 2010). The extent of trust in government affects the behavior of the public towards the policies executed by the government. To ensure a high level of trust, the government employee’s different strategies to effectively accomplish its mandate by creating access to economic opportunities, services, democratic governance, commitment to leadership, and effective mechanisms for policy implementation.

To improve trust in government is accomplished by ensuring civil servants’ competence to ensure execution of government mandate with competence. Propagating transparency and ethical culture through responsibility, upholding the rule of law, and self-discipline creates an opportunity to develop common interests. Responsiveness to non-government actors such as the media and civil movements with fairness through respecting the rights of affected citizens (Beckman, 2019). Reliability of government in its responsiveness and reliability in anticipating new needs and delivering public services are crucial for boosting trust in government institutions at different levels of administration (Cheema & Popovski, 2010). The lack of transparency in the application of government functions, undermining the rule of law by any actors or institutions in different arms of government, and acting in a manner that may compromise the wellness of the electorate undermines the public’s trust in government.