In 2024, enhancing trust in institutions has become a global priority. In this context, the main agenda of the World Economic Forum’s Davos 2024 meeting was set as “Building Trust”, while the OECD adopted a similar approach, prioritizing trust-building and establishing the “Global Forum on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy”. The OECD’s 2024 Trust Survey, published this year, revealed that in many countries, citizens’ trust in their national governments remains at low levels. This year’s Nobel Prize in Economics was also awarded to Daron Acemoğlu and his colleagues for their work on the relationship between institutional trust and societal well-being.

Elsa Pilichowski, the OECD Director for Governance, shared the results of the OECD Trust Survey at the Global Forum. The survey highlighted that trust in national governments is generally low and continues to decline. Pilichowski emphasized the critical need to increase trust in national governments, while pointing out that concrete steps to achieve this goal have yet to be determined. Referring to the Civil Engagement Model^© developed by the Academy, she suggested leaders to read the publication to help measure the steps for building trust.

OECD 2024 Global Forum: Rebuilding Trust

The main theme of the OECD 2024 Global Forum was “Rebuilding Trust”. Elsa Pilichowski, the OECD’s Director of Public Governance, presented the findings of the OECD Trust Survey during the event. The survey revealed that public trust in national governments remains low and continues to decline.

Pilichowski underlined the urgency of rebuilding trust in national governments, noting that this requires more than just the delivery of quality services. She emphasized that meaningful engagement with citizens is also essential to building trust. However, she acknowledged that a clear roadmap for implementing concrete actions to achieve this goal is still lacking. With this in mind, she recommended the Civil Engagement Model^© by the Academy as an essential reading resource designed to define and measure actionable steps to build trust.

Dr. Yılmaz Argüden: Trust in Institutions Leads to Greater Prosperity in Societies

Dr. Yılmaz Argüden appeared as a guest on CNBC-e’s Para Ekranı program, hosted by Şafak Tükle, where he discussed the role of good governance in building a culture of trust. He emphasized that trust in institutions is a fundamental requirement for improving the quality of life in societies.

Dr. Argüden highlighted that creating a culture of trust through an inclusive, participatory, transparent, and accountable approach is the foundation for building a sustainable future.

He also noted that the Academy, focusing on the globally prioritized issue of “fostering a culture of trust”, works to promote a culture of good governance across all segments of society through its impact research and educational programs.

Ekonomim Newspaper, November 11, 2024.