Trust and regulation

(Dis)trust is referred to in the literature as both an antecedent and/or a consequence of regulation and regulatory governance in terms of regulatory content, procedures, and (behavior of) actors, and vice versa. However, trust and regulation might be competing and eroding each other, substituting for or mutually reinforcing each other. The chapter first discusses theoretical perspectives like the regulatory trust triangle, and how choices in terms of institutional design (e.g., mono- versus polycentric regimes, independence), strategies (like command and control versus self-regulation), as well as performance might signal and determine trust in regulatory regimes and regulatory agencies. Existing empirical knowledge from an actor- and relation-oriented perspective is reviewed, discussing trust from citizens and regulatees in regulatory agencies and regulatory regimes, trust between political, administrative, regulatory, and interest group actors in regimes, and how trust and distrust affect the functioning and performance of regulatory regimes. Future research strategies are outlined.