Spill-Over Effects of Political Trust and Job Precariousness on Employee Outcomes: A Four Country Study

The confluence of the post-modern condition, globalization, laws, regulations, a fluid society, information technologies, and competitive pressures influence and shape political trust and job precariousness, which in turn impact employee and organizational outcomes. An important question is whether events and changes at the macro level (e.g., events that shape political trust) spill over to the micro level (e.g., events that affect supervisor trustworthiness, job satisfaction) and otherwise. This study examines relationships among political trust, job precariousness, supervisor trustworthiness, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviors. Survey data is collected from China, Germany, Mexico, and the United States. Findings show effects of political trust and job precariousness on supervisor trustworthiness, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviors. Results are discussed, and suggestions for future research are presented. Keywords Political trust, job precariousness, propensity to trust, supervisor trustworthiness, organizational citizenship behaviors, national context.