What Gives People the Sense of Trust in the City’s Services ?

: The Pitfall of Institutional Assessment and Policy Evaluation in the Postmodern Society

Abstract

The study aims to clarify how the sense of trust in the city’s services is fostered by analyzing interviews with clients of Toyonaka City. Robert K. Merton refers to “depersonalization of relationships” as characteristics of bureaucratic organizations, however, such voices were not often heard in the interviews, indicating a high level of trust in the city’s services. In the interviews, we are able to catch a glimpse of closely-accompanied support whose relationships are personalized. However, simultaneously, some interviewees questioned the institutional systems and policies themselves. What is the meaning of this seemingly conflicting notions between “trust in staff they meet and distrust in the systems and policies” ? I analyze the achievement of closely-accompanied support to the clients at the micro level, and also discuss its limitations at the macro level―the ambivalence of “street-level bureaucracy” （Michael Lipsky）. This is the pitfall of institutional assessment and policy evaluation in the postmodern society.