Residents’ trust in local government councils in an emerging nation: effect of political efficacy, good governance and performance

What is it about?

This study aims to explore residents’ trust in local government councils and to examine the effect of political efficacy and good governance on that trust, and on the performance of local government councils in an emerging nation. The thematic analysis of the face-to-face semi-structured interviews discovered four themes (trust, performance, political efficacy, and good governance). Additional analysis of these themes via the PLS-SEM approach revealed good governance to be the most influential factor in promoting residents’ trust in local government councils. Political efficacy was the second most influential factor. Residents expect local government councils’ officers to demonstrate a strong commitment to the rule of law and comply with all relevant laws and regulations. The study is unique in that it advances existing research that is lacking in the context of the Malaysian local government council. The results are crucial in that they alert local government councils to the need for high levels of governance and accountability in terms of resident support to gain more trust and confidence.

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