Political trust – of citizens in government, parliament or political parties – has been centre stage in political science for more than half a century, reflecting ongoing concerns about the legitimacy of representative democracy.

Contents: Preface 1. The Deeply Rooted Concern with Political Trust Tom W.G. van der Meer, Sonja Zmerli PART I THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES 2. The Conceptual Framework of Political Support Pippa Norris 3. What Kinds of Trust Does a Democracy Need? Trust from the Perspective of Democratic Theory Mark E. Warren 4. Functions of Political Trust in Authoritarian Settings Paola Rivetti and Francesco Cavatorta 5. Political Trust and Multilevel Government Jordi Muñoz 6. The Measurement Equivalence of Political Trust Sofie Marien 7. Objects of Political and Social Trust: Scales and Hierarchies Sonja Zmerli and Ken Newton 8. Political Trust in Experimental Designs Rick K. Wilson and Catherine C. Eckel PART II CAUSES, CORRELATES, CONSEQUENCES Micro Level 9. Biological and Psychological Influences on Political Trust Jeffery J. Mondak, Matthew Hayes and Damarys Canache 10. Emotion, Cognition, and Political Trust Elizabeth Theiss-Morse and Dona-Gene Barton 11. Education, Socialization, and Political Trust Quinton Mayne and Armen Hakhverdian 12. Political Trust as a Heuristic Thomas J. Rudolph 13. Compliance, Trust, and Norms of Citizenship Jan W. Van Deth 14. Participation and Political Trust Oscar W. Gabriel 15. Political Trust and Voting Behaviour Eric Bélanger Meso and Macro Level 16. Procedural Fairness and Political Trust Marcia Grimes 17. Democratic Input, Macro-Economic Output, and Political Trust Tom W.G. Van Der Meer 18. The Welfare State and Political Trust: Bringing Performance Back in Staffan Kumlin and Atle Haugsgjerd 19. Political Trust, Corruption, and Inequality Eric M. Uslaner 20. Immigration, Ethnic Diversity, and Political Trust Lauren Mclaren 21. Social Capital, Civic Culture and Political Trust Christopher Liu and Dietlind Stolle 22. Political Trust and the Mass Media Ken Newton PART III POLITICAL TRUST ACROSS THE GLOBE 23. Political Trust in North America Russell J. Dalton 24. Political Trust in Latin America Matías Bargsted, Nicolás M. Somma and Juan Carlos Castillo 25. Political Trust in Western and Southern Europe Mariano Torcal 26. Post-Communist Societies of Central and Eastern Europe Gergõ Závecz 27. Political Trust in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab Region Marc L. Hutchison and Kristin Johnson 28. Political Trust in the Asia-Pacific Region Chong-Min Park 29. Political Trust and the Decline of Legitimacy Debate: A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation into their Interrelationship Jacques Thomassen, Rudy Andeweg and Carolien Van Ham Index

'This Handbook offers a comprehensive account of what is currently known about political trust. In 29 chapters a stellar cast of 41 authors informs about the concept, its measurement, and correlates. In addition, they document empirically the development and distribution of political trust across the globe in different political settings. This volume is a ''must read'' for all those interested in political trust as a major resource for the political community, the political regime, and the political authorities.'