Trust: A Sociological Theory (review)

Trust: A Sociological Theory. By Piotr Sztompka. Cambridge University Press, 1999. 214 pp. Cloth, $59.95.

Sociological interest in trust has been increasing rapidly for the last two decades. Piotr Sztompka's Trust: A Sociological Theory is one of the most recent attempts to address its definition, causes, and consequences. Sztompka's approach combines a theoretical exploration of trust with a case study of Poland's recent history.

In the first three-quarters of the book, Sztompka asks a variety of questions centrally related to trust, including: What is trust? Why do people trust? When is it prudent to trust? Whom (or what) do we trust? And, how do people assess trustworthiness? The last section of the book addresses recent Polish history, focusing mainly on the post-communist period. Sztompka documents a "syndrome of distrust" in Poland from 1989 to 1993 with a subsequent revival of trust during the 1994-98 period. Sztompka's explanations for the decline in trust include a "postrevolutionary malaise," pervasive uncertainty, and ineffective third-party enforcers such as law enforcement agencies. Addressing the ensuing revival, Sztompka argues that the persistence of democratic and market institutions began to reap rewards, which built up confidence and general satisfaction in the population and ultimately led to increases in trust.

One of Sztompka's most important theoretical contributions is his description of how a society translates historical levels of trust into current levels of trust. Structural context, including the stability, transparency, and accountability of institutions, is a critical mediating process. In addition, the collective capital (human and social) of the members of a society provides potential resources for taking risks. Another important insight is Sztompka's thesis that there is a reciprocal relationship between trust and democracy.

Within the case study Sztompka also offers an important explanation for why national distrust can grow after a seemingly positive transition such as democratization or a transition to a market economy. Sztompka points out that distrust of the stability of the new institutions is quite likely, due to a subtle, underlying fear that the country could move backward. Increases in trust become a reality once there is incontrovertible proof that the transition is irreversible. In Poland, this moment came when a former communist activist, Aleksander Kwasniewski, was elected president. When he continued to enact democratic and market reforms, it became absolutely clear that the transition was unstoppable and trust subsequently rose.

An attempt to address important questions surrounding trust and apply them to a historical case is an admirable goal, yet the book falls short of providing concrete evidence for its theoretical arguments. Despite the author's claim that empirical tests will be provided, numerous definitional arguments are presented without grounding in quantitative or qualitative data. The preface mentions 403 in-depth interviews, but information from these interviews is nowhere in evidence throughout the book. Instead, the most detailed example is a story of the author's misplaced trust in a student.

Even the case study of Poland is incompletely linked to concrete events and evidence. Various survey questions are presented, but few of the questions relate directly to the theories presented earlier in the book, and many could easily be indicators of different theoretical concepts. The amount of survey data presented is so extensive, in fact, that it tends to bury some of the interesting theoretical insights of the case study. In addition, Sztompka's explanations for changes in trust are ultimately about change in population attitudes, yet the survey data he cites is cross-sectional rather than longitudinal. More important, Sztompka never directly or completely tests his theoretical model of changes in trust. Instead, evidence for portions of the model are presented piecemeal. For these reasons, the case study remains more speculative than the actual, real-world test of the theories that is promised.

Trust: A Sociological Theory does cover many central questions related to trust and categorizes a variety of potential answers. It addresses the complexity of the Polish case study without resorting to simplistic explanations and...