"Over the past forty years, citizens of most Western industrialized countries have become increasingly alienated from, and mistrustful of, their elected officials.

In this study, scholars of political science and psychology argue that significant changes in values, the result of several cross-societal transformations - such as the increase of wealth in western countries, a change in the source of that wealth, a rapid growth in the level of education among the general population, and the resulting growth of the middle class - are responsible for these shifts in attitude.

Consequently, they argue, the institutions of democratic governance now operate in a profoundly different environment than that in which they were founded.".

"Among the issues discussed are how these value changes affect citizens' views of democracy, government, and legislation, and how these changes have affected modern democracy. The contributors consider the impact value changes will have on future governments, and the implication for this shift in citizen-state relations for the course of further policy making, as well as look at ways governments can address emerging issues important to today's citizens.

As part of the Trends Series to examine Canadian public policy from the point of view of academia, this book is part of an effort seeking to strengthen government policy development on long-term issues."--BOOK JACKET.