Book
The profits of distrust: citizen-consumers, drinking water, and the crisis of confidence in American government
Business and public policy, Cambridge University Press
2022
Appears in Recent Books by UI Authors
Abstract
The burgeoning bottled water industry presents a paradox: Why do people choose expensive, environmentally destructive bottled water, rather than cheaper, sustainable, and more rigorously regulated tap water? The Profits of Distrust links citizens' choices about the water they drink to civic life more broadly, marshalling a rich variety of data on public opinion, consumer behavior, political participation, geography, and water quality. Basic services are the bedrock of democratic legitimacy. Failing, inequitable basic services cause citizen-consumers to abandon government in favor of commercial competitors. This vicious cycle of distrust undermines democracy while commercial firms reap the profits of distrust - disproportionately so from the poor and racial/ethnic minority communities. But the vicious cycle can also be virtuous: excellent basic services build trust in government and foster greater engagement between citizens and the state. Rebuilding confidence in American democracy starts with literally rebuilding the basic infrastructure that sustains life.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The profits of distrust: citizen-consumers, drinking water, and the crisis of confidence in American government
- Creators
- Manuel P TeodoroSamantha ZuhlkeDavid Switzer
- Resource Type
- Book
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press; Cambridge
- Series
- Business and public policy
- ISBN
- 1009244892; 9781009244893
- Number of pages
- xx, 309 pages
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2022
- Academic Unit
- School of Planning and Public Affairs; Public Policy Center (Archive); Center for Social Science Innovation
- Record Identifier
- 9984296993702771
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