Government absorbs worst-case risks so citizens can cooperate modestly

Evidence

Risk is not just a matter of individual action. There are “environments of risk” that collectively affect large masses of individuals—in some instances, potentially everyone on the face of the earth, as in the case of the risk of ecological disaster or nuclear war. We may define “security” as a situation in which a specific set of dangers is counteracted or minimised. The experience of security usually rests upon a balance of trust and acceptable risk. — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 92 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Sanction-backed protection against worst risks enables wider productive cooperation; Coercive government power depends on voluntary cooperation from many; Security rests upon a balance of trust and acceptable risk. — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 92 (+4 more)

Related

• Security rests upon a balance of trust and acceptable risk. (similarity 0.84)
• Institutions enabling safe cooperation must precede trustworthiness, which precedes trust (similarity 0.83)
• Protective institutions reduce the trustworthiness we must demand of fellow citizens (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• Coercive government power depends on voluntary cooperation from many #expands (0.85)
• Trust rests on structural system guarantees that relieve individuals of risk assessment #expands (0.85)
• Security rests upon a balance of trust and acceptable risk. #qualifies (0.80) — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 92
• Institutions enabling safe cooperation must precede trustworthiness, which precedes trust #expands (0.80)
• Business-as-usual stabilises trust by letting individuals feel risks are negligible. #expands (0.78) — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 353
• Trust in government is trust in capacity, unlike interpersonal trust #expands (0.72)