Scholarly record
SOCIAL TRUST IN ROMANIA
Abstract
The paper analyses the trust of the Romanian citizens in political institutions and leaders at two different levels: first, it is taken into account the relation between trust and institutional performance, and secondly, the influence on trust of the ethical expectations of the population and of the current corruption and lack of accountability of the political actors. Citizens grant and withhold trust based on their evaluation of the performance of the actors and institutions of government, but scientific studies showed a high level of distrust in institutions in all former communist countries. One important explanation consists in public dissatisfaction of the citizens with government performance during the transition period. The paper considers the dynamics of political trust and government performance in the last years: even if there were some improvements after the accession to the European Union, the negative impact of the economic crisis and of the political decisions taken by the Romanian government in order to avoid economic destabilization, determined a decrease of trust. Available data from national polls studies showed that wage cuts, unemployment, government deficits increased the fears of the population and decreased their confidence in the political institutions. On top of that, the social inequalities and the corruption in the public sector were also factors that undermined the already eroded trust. The study also explores how ethical expectations about government standards influence trust in politicians and institutions, analysing the presidential elections in 2014 and the recent anti-corruption campaign and the investigations of high ranking political officials and their influences on the population trust in institutions.
Publication Impact Profile
- Captures
- Mendeley - Readers: 4
Publication details
ReferencesPending
Structured references will appear here after the reference import pass. The count is preserved now so the scholarly record is not incomplete.
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.
