Radicalization or consensus? Civic engagement, (in)efficacy and (dis)trust in political institutions through a comparative perspective of environmental movements mobilization in Germany and Greece

Civic engagement and political mobilization are the main characteristics of social movements (SM). SMs acknowledge that citizens’ participation and involvement in decision-making are important factors for societal change. Moreover, issues like environmental protection are very salient today because of the consequences of climate change and the role of environmental activism gaining great importance. One aspect of the mobilization of green movements is their inclusion in the deliberation process and their contact with political institutions, at the national and European level, in order to influence policies and the governance. Taking as case studies the radical anti-gold mining movement in Greece, as well as the moderate climate protection movement Fridays for Future in Germany, we aim to explore how the cooperation with political institutions and political trust is connected with political efficacy and political participation. Our research question focuses on a functional aspect of political trust and the role of the decision-making process. With the analysis of focus groups data from two environmental movements in Germany and Greece, we argue that inclusion in the decision-making process and the different outcomes of this collaboration can impact political trust and result in political (in)efficacy and (dis)engagement. In this direction, we examine institutional components of the political system and SMs in the two countries as well as how experiences and not only attitudes are connected with political trust. Our goal is to propose a model of SM inclusion in the deliberative process that will contribute to the revitalization of democracy.