In the introductory chapter, Warren defines the topic of democracy and trust as it is developed in the volume and describes the organization of the chapters around a set of distinct, but closely related, questions. He identifies increasing societal complexity and interdependence as creating a paradoxical relationship between trust and democracy (pp. 3–4). With increased complexity, differentiation, and interdependence, individuals have greater choice and opportunity. Along with greater choice, however, there is both a greater need to trust and a reduced ability to participate, either directly or indirectly, in the decisions that shape one's life. In other words, at the same time that individuals are faced with greater choices, there is less opportunity to be involved in making those choices. Rather, citizens must increasingly rely on their elected representatives and other governmental authorities if they are to take advantage of the increased opportunities that accompany increased complexity and interdependence. Thus, Warren identifies a central task for scholars of democracy and trust as developing an understanding of the conditions under which trust is justified and identifying the institutional arrangements that facilitate the development of justified trust. Increases in justified trust help to reduce the costs associated with political decision making while, at the same time, enhancing the possibility of democratic decision making in increasingly complex and interdependent societies.

Warren organizes the book around a distinct set of issues, including questions about whether and when trust is desirable, the kinds of trust that benefit democracy, the relationship between trust and civil society, and the relationship between trust and collective action. In the first set of contributions, Russell Hardin, Claus Offe, and Ronald Inglehart each address the question of whether and when trust in government is desirable. These contributions are also useful for illustrating both the strengths and the weaknesses of the volume as a whole.

Proceeding from a rational choice perspective, Hardin argues that trust is possible only when someone knows the motivations of the person who is being trusted. In this view, it does not make sense to speak of trust in the institutions of government, as citizens are unlikely to know their elected representatives or the bureaucratic agents involved in governing well enough to be able to assess the motivations of their actions. Rather, Hardin proposes that it makes sense to speak of depending upon government or feeling reassured when government is predictable. Trust in government, however, is not desirable, because in modern society citizens are not in a position to assess the trustworthiness of governmental officials.

In contrast to Hardin, Offe argues that trust in the institutions of government is both possible and desirable. For Offe, trusting an institution requires knowledge and mutual acceptance of institutional rules, values, and norms, as well as the expectation that these rules, values, and norms will be followed. If there is a lack of trust in the institutions of government, this presents a problem for democracy, as strong governments are typically required to resolve complex problems of collective action that face modern societies.

Inglehart takes yet another approach to address the question of the desirability of trust in government. Based on empirical analysis of data from 1990–1991 and 1995–1997 World Values Surveys in 41 countries, Inglehart argues that the stability of existing democracies relies on subjective well-being and interpersonal trust. In contrast, trust in the institutions of government or trust in political elites is not particularly important for the maintenance of existing democracies. In Inglehart's view, declining trust in the institutions of government reflects a decline in respect for authority that has resulted from increased material well-being and the development of postmaterial cultures. Citizens now evaluate their governments by a more exacting standard, and trust in government has declined without posing a threat to the stability of government.

Illustrating the strength of this edited volume, Hardin and Offe approach the question of the desirability of trust from alternative theoretical approaches, whereas Inglehart addresses the question on the basis of statistical analyses across a range of nations. Thus, the reader is presented with alternative conceptions of trust and a statistical analysis that provides for an empirical assessment of the importance of trust in government. Illustrating the weakness of the volume, the reader is left with questions about which approach is most useful or accurate in addressing the question about the desirability of trust. Similarly, the contributions by Eric Uslaner, Orlando Patterson, Jean Cohen, Rom Harre, James Scott, and Jane Mansbridge do not rely on a single conception of either trust in government or democracy. Like Inglehart, Uslaner and Patterson employ statistical analyses to test some of their ideas. Like Hardin and Offe, the remaining authors employ a more theoretical approach to address the issue of trust and democracy, relying on examples as appropriate to illustrate their arguments.

Given that many of the issues raised in the volume are not new to the study of trust in government, perhaps the most unique and important contribution of the work is Warren's outline of a democratic theory of trust (see pp. 310–43). Distinguishing among three approaches to trust in democratic theory, which he identifies as neoconservative, rational choice, and deliberative, Warren proposes that the deliberative approach provides the most promising model for addressing questions about the kinds of political institutions that are most likely to solve problems associated with the paradoxical relationship between trust and democracy.

Overall, the volume makes a valuable contribution to the study of trust and democracy. The authors raise more questions than they answer, but the volume as a whole introduces readers new to the topic to current theoretical and empirical approaches in this area of research. Moreover, in drawing attention to questions about the relationship between trust and democracy and identifying distinct approaches in studying this topic, the volume helps to provide direction for future research.