Discussion | Political Trust in Europe: Is There a Crisis, and Does it Matter?

Political trust is commonly said to be critical for the functioning of liberal democracy. It indicates the belief that parties and politicians are ready and able to govern in the interests of citizens in reliable ways, even if exposed to little supervision or scrutiny. Trust facilitates political compromise, political integration, and social peace. Public debates and some studies suggest that European voters may be losing this important disposition. The surge of populist parties across European democracies, shrinking vote shares of mainstream parties, and visible protest movements are widely seen as clearcut signals in this regard. This conversation explores the scope of this perceived crisis and what the conditions and long-term consequences might be. It brings together international experts from the fields of political theory, empirical political sociology, and party politics. The panel participants will present their insights on the state of political trust in European politics in short introductory statements, discuss them in a panel a conversation, and respond to questions from the audience.

Participants:
__ Marc Hooghe is a full professor of Political Science at the University of Leuven (Belgium), and a Visiting Professor at the Universities of Mannheim, Lille-II and Utrecht.
-- Mark Warren is Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia, former Merilees Chair for the Study of Democracy, and President of the American Political Science Association.
-- Milada Vachudova is Professor of Political Science at the Department of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
-- Thomas Zittel is Professor for Comparative Politics at Goethe University Frankfurt and currently Max Weber Visiting Professor for European and German Studies at the Center for European and Mediterranean Studies, New York University.