Dr Libby Maman on Measuring and (Re-)building Trust

What happens when citizens lose faith in the institutions that serve them? And how can we rebuild that trust?

Episode Summary
On this episode, I'm speaking to someone who cares passionately about this subject and who has made it her life's work to research and solve it.  

From politicians who lie, to corruption scandals, to public services that simply don’t work the way we expect—especially when we're paying taxes and getting poor value—something feels broken. I want to know: how do we understand and respond to that breakdown of faith?

Libby Maman, founder and CEO of Luminata, whose work turns abstract values like transparency, accountability, participation and inclusiveness into tangible, measurable trust indicators.

We dig into why conventional approaches to rebuilding trust often backfire, and how designing systems that measure the right things can actually shift organisational behaviour for the better.

You'll hear not only how trust can be mapped, measured and managed—but why that matters. We challenge assumptions: do metrics actually undermine trust? Or can they signal seriousness, credibility and responsiveness? 

Libby shares concrete examples of stakeholder‑led indicators, behavioural logic in gamification, and the limitations and opportunities of measuring democratic values.

Guest Biography: Libby Maman
Libby Maman is a researcher and systems designer working at the intersection of public policy, behavioural science and institutional design. She is the founder and CEO of Luminata, a consultancy that partners with governments and civil society to build measurable trust frameworks.  Libby’s broader background spans academia, consulting and public sector work.

Her research focuses on translating democratic norms—such as transparency, accountability and inclusiveness—into practical metrics that organisations can both implement and act on. Through Luminata, she has worked with national and local governments to co‑design trust indicators that respond to real stakeholder needs and drive change.

AI-Generated Timestamp Summary
[00:00:00] Introduction: Declining trust in public bodies and the stakes of measurement
[00:02:45] Libby’s background and mission at Luminata
[00:05:30] Why traditional trust-building (PR, appeals to values) often fails
[00:10:15] Designing trust indicators: transparency, accountability, participation, inclusiveness
[00:15:40] Co‑design with stakeholders to ensure relevance and buy‑in
[00:20:10] Behavioural logic: how metrics can motivate institutional change
[00:25:00] Risks of aspirational vs realistic measurement targets
[00:30:00] Trust-politicisation: when metrics become tools of power
[00:35:20] Case examples of gamified measurement and its impact
[00:40:00] The relationship between trust-building and voluntary compliance
[00:45:30] Limitations: measurement isn’t magic—but it's a start
[00:50:00] Final reflections on what organisations must do to grow trust

Links:
Libby's website - 

Luminata website (Libby’s consultancy) 

Libby on LinkedIn 

Relevant Previous Episodes
Professor Yuval Feldman on why we should write rules for good people not bad people

Professor Yuval Feldman on Trust & Voluntary Compliance

Hilary Sutcliffe on Trust

Dr Jake Mazulewicz on Human Reliability