Governance Values and Public Trust in Government: An Exploratory Study of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand

Since the 1997 Asian financial crisis, special attention has been paid to public management reforms and good governance values in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. This study analyzes how citizen satisfaction with good governance values, government performance, and empowered citizenship affect public trust in government in these countries. The analysis is based on the Asia Barometer Survey data 2007. The study found that citizens' satisfaction with good governance values and perceived government performance in dealing with the economy and political corruption best explain the variation in trust in government among these countries. The variances in trust in central and local governments in Malaysia and Indonesia are best explained by citizen satisfaction with good governance values. Citizen satisfaction with good governance values is significantly associated with trust in local government only in Thailand. The study also finds that perceived government performance in the economy is significantly associated with trust in central governments in Malaysia and Thailand. Meanwhile, government performance in dealing with political corruption, quality of service, and government officials’ attention to citizen input are positively associated with trust in government in Thailand. Citizens who agree that there is wide spread corruption among those who govern the country expressed a low level of trust in government in Indonesia and Thailand. The study findings support that an approach comparing different countries can enhance our understanding of the complexity of and variations of the factors affecting public trust in government in different civil societies.