Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Activating European Citizens' Trust in Times of Crisis and Polarization: Towards a New Era of Representative Democracy

Activating European Citizens' Trust in Times of Crisis and Polarization: Towards a New Era of Representative Democracy

Braun, Daniela
Kaeding, Michael
Hartland, Alex

Hardcover

Series: Future of Europe

General Political ScienceGeneral Sociology

ISBN10: 3032191181
ISBN13: 9783032191182
Publisher: Springer
Published: Mar 27 2026
Pages: 133
Weight: 0.89
Height: 0.44 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
This open access book 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.

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