faith in government or maybe it's a tendency to stay home watching television rather than join a bowling league. Whatever the reason, Harvard scholars hope to know more about the phenomenon after this weekend.

Kennedy School of Government Dean Joseph S. Nye Jr. is hosting a symposium to discuss the loss of confidence and trust in government now observed worldwide. The event is part of a long-term research project called "Visions of Governance for the Twenty-First Century."

The symposium brings together political and media leaders from across the country including NBC anchor Tom Brokaw; former West Virginia governor Gaston Caperton; Richard G. Darman '64, MBA '67, Ed '79, partner and managing director of the Carlyle Group and former director of the Office of Management and Budget; U.S. News & World Report editor at large David Gergen; Elaine Kamarck, senior policy adviser to Vice President Albert Gore; U.S. Senator from Rhode Island John F. Reed, MPP '73, JD '82; former U.S. Senator from Wyoming Alan K. Simpson, Visiting Lombard Lecturer at the

Kennedy School; Paul A. Volcker Jr., KSGP '51, AM '51, LLD '85 (hon.),

chairman of James D. Wolfensohn Co.; R. James Woolsey, former director of Central Intelligence; and Public Agenda president Daniel G. Yankelovich '46, G '49.

"We're hoping for some reaction to the hypotheses we're posing and a refinement of the ideas we have developed as to the economic, social, and political causes behind the loss of confidence in government that is increasingly evident today," said Nye.

For the past year, scholars and practitioners associated with the Visions of Governance project have been examining many possible causes for the decline of confidence and trust in government and its impact.

Confidence has dropped in all aspects of government at the federal, state, and local levels, with the notable exception of the military and the U.S. post office. Perhaps people distrust government more now because of changes in how the media presents the news, the many scandals that have hobbled national leaders, the end of the Cold War, the growth of government since World War II, the decline of the family, or all of these factors acting in concert.

Symposium findings and the work already accomplished at the Kennedy School will be developed into a book, Why People Don't Trust Government, that will be published in August. Its conclusions will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association.