Political Participation, Trust and Efficacy in Uncertain Times

Abstract

Democratic political participation in the Twenty-First Century faces a number of profound challenges – ones that resist the traditional models of mobilization, political participation, efficacy and trust. The last generation witnessed electoral participation that was largely stable, partisan and supportive of government. Citizens in the Twenty-First Century, especially those in the newest generation, have experienced a variety of significant threats to political loyalty and involvement. Among these are a series of high profile challenges to the socio-economic and political status quo, including the Global Financial Crisis, terrorism, climate change and globalization. Government interventions to “solve” these problems have frequently generated as much citizen unease as the original threats themselves. The result is an increasingly pervasive sense that governments can’t “deliver.” The challenges of globalization and multi-cultural migration also undermine traditional models of political efficacy and governmental trust, which were premised on deeply-rooted national cultures. These models may no longer be relevant in societies with significant, new migrant populations with important attitudinal legacies from homelands with disparate social and political cultures. Nor can they tap the resultant undercurrents of extremism, xenophobia and right populism that have grown primarily from reactions to immigration. At the same time, even affluent and stable democracies have seen significant, generational erosion in voter turnout, trust and support by electorates. The newest generation in most democratic societies is marked by skepticism, disillusionment and disaffection, both from government itself and from the traditional forms of involvement in the political process. And yet, experiments in electoral reform, direct democracy and citizen initiatives have yielded mixed results in terms of prompting political turnout and confidence in the system. This panel proposes to provide a forum for research on political mobilization, engagement, efficacy and trust in these uncertain times, and do so in the context of these larger explanatory currents.

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