Joseph Cooper is professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University and served as the University's Provost from 1991-1996. He has previously taught at Rice University, Stanford University, and Harvard University. He has held fellowships from the Brookings Institution and the National Endowment for the Humanities and has testified before congressional committees numerous times on issues relating to American political institutions.

• Foreword: Trust and Democracy -- The Puzzle of Distrust -- Insiders with a Crisis from Outside -- Appreciating Congress -- Congress and Public Trust -- How Good People Make Bad Collectives -- Congress, Public Trust, and Education -- Performance and Expectations in American Politics -- Epilogue -- Trends in Public Trust: 1952-1998