Explaining trust in national parliaments: institutional rules, representation and accountability

Abstract

The extent of citizens' trust in political institutions can be explained on cultural grounds or by reference to a government's economic performance. But that trust also has to do with the existence of electoral and decision-making rules which encourage the likelihood that voters will feel that the political system serves their interests. Based on data from a survey carried out in European Union countries, this article tests the hypothesis that rules which favour making majorities accountable are as important in strengthening people's trust in institutions as those which make for better and more perfect representation of social and political interests.