Enabling system-level trust: Polycentric governance for complex, many-scaled environmental problems

Three forms of trust are contrasted: personal level trust (PLT), aggregated personal trust (APLT) and system-level trust (SLT). PLT and APLT are generally developed through face-to-face and other forms of direct relationships among participants in environmental governance. PLT and APLT, while unquestionably helpful and important in addressing environmental issues and policies, have proved insufficient to generate agreement and action in the face of today’s complex multi-scaled problems. These problems often affect larger populations, many numbers of which have no direct relationships with other stakeholders. Consequently, efforts at environmental governance in these cases often lack the support of appropriate levels of trust. It is shown that SLT cannot be built from either PLT or APLT; it requires delving into characteristics of the negotiating groups, themselves. Such groups are likely to find some success if: (1) they share a sense of place; (2) they acknowledge the importance of complexity in their work, and (3) they are focused on a shared problem or nest of problems. The concept of system-level trust is tested by application to collective actions in protecting common pool resources within multi-scaled systems incorporating polycentric governance. • Personal forms of trust are important but insufficient to support agreement in complex, many scaled environmental problems. • Progress on complex, many scaled environmental problems requires groups capable of generating system-level trust. • Sense of place, the acceptance of complexity, and an orientation toward problems can enable system-level trust. • System-level trust is an important element of polycentric governance.