Democratic Innovations to the Rescue? Political Trust and Attitudes Toward Democratic Innovations in Southwest Finland

Henrik Serup Christensen, Maija Karjalainen, Krister Lundell

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    Abstract

    It is difficult to govern when citizens are unsupportive of the political system. This problem is relevant for municipalities formed through municipal mergers since new political entities need to build political trust. Democratic innovations provide possible solutions to increase citizens’ confidence, but it is unclear whether distrusting citizens demand these opportunities for involvement. This study examines the link between political trust and support for democratic innovations in Southwest Finland with a survey of 2000 respondents in 14 municipalities. The results suggest that distrusting citizens are less supportive of democratic innovations; hence it is unlikely that they increase political trust.
    Original languageUndefined/Unknown
    Pages (from-to)404–416
    JournalInternational Journal of Public Administration
    Volume39
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2016
    MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

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