The publication marking the conclusion of the ActEU project is now available as open access. In particular, it explores the reasons why representative democracies need political trust and legitimacy.
New book out! Activating European Citizens’ Trust in Times of Crisis and Polarization
Democracy, political trust and legitimacy
This open access book, result of the ActEU project funded by the European Commission as part of the Horizon Europe framework programme, explains why representative democracies need political trust and legitimacy: Political trust is a crucial yet underestimated element in Europe’s representative democracies.
A trusting relationship between citizens and the institutions of the state ensures the functioning of democratic systems, reduces transaction costs and facilitates the justification of political decisions. Without the commitment of a critical mass, democratic governments cannot gain legitimacy among the populace. While a stable relationship of trust between citizens and the state through political parties is a prerequisite for representative democracies in normal times, it is even more important in times of significant democratic change and turmoil, i.e., when democracies are in flux.
Accordingly, the contributions gathered here examine political trust and legitimacy in Europe using a new conceptual framework – the ActEU conceptual triangle, which draws on citizens’ political attitudes, their political participation, and the representation of their political preferences to map and assess the decline of political trust and legitimacy in Europe.
A chapter dedicated to trust and legitimacy in the French multi-level democracy
Max-Valentin Robert and Felix Von Nostitz (ESPOL, Université Catholique de Lille) both contributed to the book with an article titled: France: Attitudinal, Behavioural and Representational Trust and Legitimacy in the French Multi-Level Democracy.
This chapter provides an overview of French public opinion in the turbulent political context of spring 2024. It focuses on levels of trust in the various political actors and institutions that structure France’s multi-level democracy, and how this trust relates to public attitudes on polarising issues in contemporary European societies, such as immigration, climate change and gender equality.
