Discontent and Discord: The Effect of Anti-Government Animus on Compliance with the Norms of Governance

As distrust and discontent grows, public willingness to conform voluntarily with legal norms declines. The fact that the government is perceived negatively is not debatable. However, it takes years to transform the national belief structure. Professor Popper challenges why the federal regulatory state is perceived negatively.

He tracks the devolution of public confidence in the government through the lens of tort reform and several regulatory agencies and programs.