The stewardship of benevolence: its importance in achieving accountability and public trust towards local government / Nor Zaini Zainal Abidin and Azni Syafena Andin Salamat

Local government service delivery is a continued debate even though some of the services, such as solid waste management have been privatized under the assumption that privatization can smoothen the working process efficiently and effectively. Thus, assessment values that guide the public sector in local government service delivery are the primary focus of this paper. Benevolence is one of the valuable principles in administrative accountability. The emphasis on benevolence is highlighted because of the belief that it strengthen public trust toward the government. This paper focuses on the influence of benevolence on public trust in local government service delivery in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. Empirical data using questionnaire was tabulated and our analysis using Smart-PLS technique found that there was strong evidence between accountability and benevolence. However, the role of benevolence as a mediator is still open to debate and discussion.