“Citizen’s trust and societal polarization in times of transformation” : Sektionstagung „Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft“ der DVPW am 27.03–28.03.2025

Abstract

The 2025 conference of the research section “Comparative Politics” of the German Political Science Association (DVPW) was dedicated to the topic: “Citizen’s Trust and Societal Polarization in Times of Transformation: Comparative Perspectives from Different World Regions.” Around 100 scholars from across Europe gathered from March 27 to 28 at Saarland University in Saarbrücken for the largest political science event to date hosted by the two political science chairs of the university’s still young department for European Social Research. The conference is the result of two international research projects that are part of the Horizon Europe program: “Activating European Citizens Trust in Times of Crises and Polarization” (ActEU, led by the University of Duisburg-Essen and Saarland University) and PROTEMO (“Emotional dynamics of protective policies in an age of insecurity”, led by Saarland University). The aim of the conference was to address and discuss the most pressing challenges facing representative democracy across 20 panels: citizens’ trust—or distrust—in “their” political system, institutions, political representatives, and the EU as well as the interrelationships between trust, emotions and societal polarization. These overall topics are linked to long-term transformations related to migration and integration, climate change, technological change, gender inequalities, Europeanisation or region-specific challenges. Each of the 20 panels offered valuable perspectives on the concepts, determinants and consequences of political trust, polarization and participation.