Trust in public governance: scoping the field

The complex challenges facing societies around the globe, such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the introduction of artificial intelligence, demand different responses from governments. This introductory chapter scopes the field and introduces the chapters in this Handbook. We emphasise the need for collaborative governance involving public, private, and non-profit actors, with trust as a central element. Trust enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of governance, fosters voluntary compliance, and supports innovative solutions. Recent crises have strained trust, underscoring its critical role in public governance. We integrate insights from diverse disciplines to explore trust's dynamics, including its relationship with control, transparency, and technology. By centering on vulnerability and multi-level interactions, this chapter offers a comprehensive understanding of trust in governance systems. We propose a research agenda to further investigate trust's evolution, digital transformations, ethical considerations, and emotions involved in trust, aiming to strengthen public governance in addressing modern societal challenges.