Political Trust and Distrust in Governance

Christian Lahusen is Professor of Sociology at the University of Siegen, Germany.

• 1. Introduction: Paths and Challenges in the Study of Trust and Distrust in Governance Part I: Individual-level Relations: Citizens and Governance 2. The Developmental Shift in Adolescents’ Political Institutional (Dis)Trust and the (Un)Trustworthiness Criteria in COVID-19 Institutional Decision-Making: A Mixed-Methods Study 3. Exploring the Different Faces of Political Trust and Distrust: A Comparative Analysis of Survey Data Part II: Collective-level Relations: Arenas and Contestations 4. Building User Trust Through Frontline Work: The Context of Social Welfare Institutions 5. Navigating Institutional (Dis)trust: Perspectives of Democratic Social Movements and Effects on Cooperation with Institutions 6. The News Media as an Arena of Trust Contestation During the Pandemic Part III: Addressing Trust and Distrust: Policies, Practices, and Deliberations 7. European Civil Society Organisations’ Trust in the EU Institutions: An Expectation of an Open and Informed Policy Debate 8. We Trust Politicians if We Can See Them: Findings from a Cross-Country Experimental Study through Online Deliberative Polls 9. Conclusion: Institutional Frameworks, Relational Dynamics, and Democratic Implications of Trust and Distrust

'This timely book offers insightful interdisciplinary explorations of trust and distrust in democratic governance. By drawing on the extensive empirical evidence and theoretic research carried out by the Entrust project across seven European countries, the book addresses a rich spectrum of challenges to building and maintaining public trust. Of particular interest is the focus on the crucial but surprisingly under investigated topic of institutional trust.' Maria Baghramian, Full Professor of Philosophy, University College Dublin, and Horizon Europe ERA Chair AUA, Armenia, and Research Professor, University of Oslo, Norway 'Grounded in rigorous, multi-method comparative analysis across seven European countries, Trust and Distrust in Governance offers an indispensable roadmap for scholars and policymakers. Lahusen and colleagues illuminate how trust, distrust, and institutional trustworthiness unfold and intertwine, providing key insights for navigating today’s polycrisis and safeguarding the resilience of democratic governance.' Martino Maggetti, Full Professor of Political Science, Institute of Political Studies (IEP), University of Lausanne 'Trust (or the lack of it) is the missing link in understanding the challenges of contemporary democratic governance. Lahusen’s edited volume offers valuable insights of how trust and distrust work out at the individual and collective levels as well as an analysis of how institutions are attempting to address the impact of mistrust.' Stella Ladi, Professor of Public Policy, Panteion University and Queen Mary University of London