Abstract

MONSIVAIS CARRILLO, Alejandro. Perceived Quality of Local Public Services and Institutional Trust in Mexico. Región y sociedad [online]. 2019, vol.31, e1206. ISSN 2448-4849.  https://doi.org/10.22198/rys2019/31/1206.

Citizen opinion about the provision of local public goods and services is of special interest for research on trust in political institutions. The aim of the study is to analyze the relationship between the quality of local public services, as perceived by the population, and the confidence they have in the institutions. Using multilevel regression models, the data of a survey with state and national representativeness in Mexico are analyzed, which shows that when citizens perceive quality in local public services, it positively influences political confidence. Therefore, those who trust more in institutions are living in the states where these services are perceived to be better. These results suggest that, in the performance of subnational governments, disparities play an important role in explaining institutional trust.

Keywords : political trust; political institutions; public services; subnational governments; Mexico.