Trust and Distrust in Political Institutions
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The analysis of trust in political institutions is rich in insights, but constrained by two conceptual limitations critically discussed in this paper. Research privileges trust and marginalises distrust, thus providing an incomplete and flawed picture; and it focuses on trust dispositions, thus disconnecting institutional trust from what it is, a relational concept. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, this paper proposes a dual conceptualisation that treats trust and distrust as separate but interrelated concepts. An institutionalist approach is used to expose that trust and distrust are part of institutionalised relations, operating at the individual and collective levels, and involving reciprocities and complementarities.
Source: Journal of Political Sociology
DOI: 10.54195/jps.19659
Author: Christian Lahusen
Institution: University of Siegen
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4403733760