Rebuilding Expertise: Creating Effective and Trustworthy Regulation in an Age of Doubt

by William D Araiza

Why the public has lost faith in government and how it can be restored

In 1964, over three-quarters of Americans trusted the federal government to do the right thing all or most of the time. By 1980, that number had plummeted to 26 percent, and Ronald Reagan won a sweeping victory for the presidency while proclaiming that government was not the solution to our problems but was itself the problem. Today, Americans’ trust in public institutions is at near historic lows and “bureaucracy” and “big government” are pejorative terms.

In Rebuilding Expertise , William D. Araiza investigates the sources of this phenomenon and explains how we might rebuild trust in our public institutions. Written in accessible and engaging language, the author examines the history of this deterioration of trust and reveals how politicians from Clinton to Trump have allowed that deterioration to continue, and, in some cases, actively encouraged it. Using an interdisciplinary approach, with insights from history, political science, law, and public administration, Araiza explores our current bureaucratic malaise and presents a roadmap to finding our way out of it, toward a regime marked by effective, expert regulation that remains democratically accountable and politically legitimate.

A timely and indispensable read, Rebuilding Expertise makes clear what steps must be taken to regain public trust in our government.

320 pages, Hardcover

Published June 28, 2022

Reviews

[Michael Whitlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is meticulously researched and cites its sources. The author has good suggestions but unfortunately tends to hand waive the biggest obstacles and impediments to achieving these goals: our electoral politics. When discussing how political appointees interfere with agency factual investigation and reporting, their solution is that norms should exist to shield career personnel from political appointees and those norms should be strong. But the author themself details how Reagan, Bush, and Trump shattered such previously existing norms.

[Idriss Jellyfish · Rating 5 out of 5]

We would profit well by following the suggestions of this book, alas, the forces of ignorance and animus prevailed in 2024. Our federal administrative workforce is about as large as it was in the 1960s, thus, severely understaffed. Unfortunately, the disinformation that convinced people of bewildering and strange things continues to enable the torching of the foundations & safeguards for much of the US's operations.

This disinformation serves as an undercurrent threatening to undermine all the worthwhile recommendations of this text. After all, public trust is the resource we are in most dire need of to orient in line with expertise. Commitment to empirical truths, well-reasoned projects, procedural vaccountability, and social responsiveness require citizen buy-in and participation.

One of the strengths of the book is how focused it is on its goal as it applies to improving rule-making promulgation while keeping abreast of many complicating factors. There are many inquiries that can pull us far afield and the arguments remain tight by acknowledging the power of well-delineating tasks and responsibilities.

Even though the government is moving in the opposite direction of rule-making expertise and towards stochastic terrorism/ rampant conspiracizing, I find the book helpful in my personal volunteer work and advocacy. Congruent principles apply to the highest level of government and local community organizations. The frameworks Professor Araize builds and expounds upon are extremely useful for understanding complex dynamics of crafting and justifying policy in ways that are accountable and best-evidence-driven.