ABSTRACT
In the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have been studying the interactions between different kinds of trust and how individuals and societies perceive risk, implement restrictive measures and compliance. Existing studies tend to utilize different theoretical approaches to examine how trust relates to issues of adoption of restrictive policies, compliance with such policies, risk perception, etc. This has resulted in findings which are difficult to compare across societies. To address this issue, my chapter presents a theoretical model delineating the dynamic interactions of particularized and system trust that produce four modalities of social action. Central to the model is the concept of trust liminality, i.e., a momentary suspension of trust in different contexts. In analyzing how trust liminality is resolved, the model gives us insights into the interactions between trust, risk and blame in individuals and social groups. It also provides a common analytical framework that can be used to compare different cases across societies and scales.
