I often mention my Pentulitimate Political Science Theorem, which is “People have to like this crap.” Deep, I know (and is related to Charles Pierce’s similar concept, “Fk The Deficit. People Got No Jobs. People Got No Money.”)
Well, political scientist John Sides HAZ DATAZ!:
Most people really don’t mind the occasional backroom deal or shitty tax break, but things do have work out for people. Right now, they’re not.
Someone might want to fix that (although some other someones seem dead set against that).
mikethemadbiologist
Just to be contrary, the other direction causation is also plausible.
More trust in Government/society makes people more willing to make riskier investments (on the principle “it’ll all come out all right in the end”), and that allows for more capital generation, innovation, business expansion, ect, leading to more disposable income.
In other words, trust is a feed-forward loop.