Overview

This edited volume provides new, nuanced answers to questions concerning the complex nature of political trust and distrust, exploring the role they play within democratic governance and the implications that varying degrees of trust can have on relations between citizens and institutions. In times of uncertainty and crisis, trust and distrust become a particularly important topic of public concern and scientific interest. Presenting findings from a research project spanning seven European countries, the book explores the meaning and role of institutional trust and distrust, analyses individual manifestations, inquiries into arenas of trust formation and contestation, and discusses scenarios and implications. The authors present fresh theoretical and empirical insights by corroborating a co-presence of institutional trust and distrust and, crucially, propose a relational approach that considers the interplay between (dis)trusting citizens and institutions at the individual and collective level. An important and original contribution to understandings of political trust, it will be an essential resource for scholars, researchers and upper-level students of political sociology, political science, psychology and media studies, with interests in understanding forms of political trust and distrust, and their conditions and implications.

Full Product Details

9781032953694

Table of Contents

Reviews

'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

Author Information

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

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