'Trust in polarised times': The start of a sustainable and substantive research network
For the university-wide theme ‘Trust in polarised times’, researchers from Leiden and The Hague are joining forces. On Friday 5 June, the theme will be launched in The Hague, where colleagues will come together to meet and explore the theme.
According to theme leads Tom Louwerse (Social and Behavioural Scieces), Wim Voermans (Law) and Kutsal Yesilkagit (Governance and Global Affairs), the theme is more relevant than ever. Trust is under pressure in many democracies, precisely as political and societal polarisation continues to intensify. This combination strikes at the very heart of how public institutions, policy and governance function.
‘At the same time, we see that trust does not simply disappear, but rather is reconfigured: citizens place more trust in some institutions or actors and less in others. Moreover, some citizens still have relatively high levels of trust, while others are actively distrustful of public institutions’, the team leads explain.
In past there's also been discussions on trust in public institutions. Researchers often showed that trust fluctuated, but did not decline structurally in most countries. In recent years, however, such a decline has become visible, particularly in the Netherlands. How can we explain this, and what can be done about it?
As a starting point for this new theme, researchers from Leiden and The Hague have been invited to meet on Friday 5 June. The focus will be on exploring shared ambitions, identifying key subthemes, strengthening and expanding existing collaborations, and identifying opportunities for new partnerships.
Interfaculty and interdisciplinary collaboration
According to the theme leads, the strength of this initiative lies in bringing together perspectives from disciplines including political science, public administration, law, social psychology, neuropsychology, sociology, political philosophy, history and communication.
'Polarisation and trust are not one-dimensional phenomena, but manifest at different levels: institutional, organisational and individual. Interdisciplinary collaboration makes it possible to analyse these processes in relation to one another. It is precisely the combination of theory, empirical research and practical insights that adds value here.'
What will you take away from the kick-off?
The theme leads hope that participants will leave the kick-off with a shared conceptual framework and a sharper sense of the complexity of trust in polarised contexts. The meeting should help to identify emerging research questions and reveal where different disciplines can reinforce one another.
In addition, the aim is to build connections between researchers and to create space for joint follow-up projects. In this way, the meeting marks the beginning of a substantive and sustainable research network.
Kick-off 'Trust in polarised times'
During the afternoon, you will have the opportunity to explore the theme, make new connections, and contribute ideas on its direction and on (new) research opportunities. The language of the event is English and the full programme can be found on the event page. Will we see you there?
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