Politicial Mistrust and the Discrediting of Politicians (International Studies in Sociology and Social Anthropology) (International Studies in Sociology and Social Anthropology)

This book, prepared under the auspices of the ISA research committee on Comparative Sociology, focuses on a worldwide phenomenon: political mistrust, observable in almost all countries, in both established democracies and in authoritarian regimes. But ubiquity does not signify uniformity. The diversity of political regimes generates a multiplicity of forms and intensities of mistrust. Political mistrust seems inherent even in advanced democracies and in semi-democracies, where citizens are better prepared and more prone to criticize the dysfunctions of institutions and condemn the misconduct of politicians. Political mistrust is greatly nourished in many countries by a wide practice of public corruption. Of particular sociological interest is the vulnerability of political elites and of their frequent condemnation to “civil death”. Table of Contents This book is divided into three parts: the first presents continental comparisons: within Europe, within Latin America, and in South Asia. The second part includes chapters on three contrasting cases: Norway, France and Nigeria. The third, deals with dramatic crises of legitimacy in France in May 1968 and in Argentina in 1999-2003. Another chapter analyzes the political scandals. All essays are empirically grounded. All contributors are distinguished comparative scholars: Marita Carballo, William Case, Jean-Pascal Daloz, Mattei Dogan, Trygve Gulbrandsen, Giselle Jamisson, Sighard Neckel, Timothy Power and Frederik Turner. Introduction: Political Mistrust as a Worldwide Phenomenon (Mattei Dogan)......Page 7 I Comparative Analyses......Page 15 Erosion of Confidence in Thirty European Democracies (Mattei Dogan)......Page 17 Political Mistrust in Latin America (Timothy J. Power and Giselle Jamison)......Page 61 Political Mistrust in Southeast Asia (William Case)......Page 87 Political Scandals (Sighard Neckel)......Page 107 II Contrasting Cases of National Configurations of Trust-Mistrust......Page 119 Norway: Trust Among Elites in a Corporatist Democracy (Trygve Gulbrandsen)......Page 121 France: Political Mistrust and the Civil Death of Politicians (Mattei Dogan)......Page 143 Nigeria: Trust Your Patron, not the Institutions (Jean-Pascal Daloz)......Page 161 III From Mistrust to Crisis of Legitimacy......Page 179 Argentina: Economic Disaster and the Rejection of thePolitical Class (Frederick C. Turner and Marita Carballo)......Page 181 How Civil War Was Avoided in France (Mattei Dogan)......Page 213 Analytic Index......Page 251

This book, prepared under the auspices of the ISA research committee on Comparative Sociology, focuses on a worldwide phenomenon: political mistrust, observable in almost all countries, in both established democracies and in authoritarian regimes.
But ubiquity does not signify uniformity. The diversity of political regimes generates a multiplicity of forms and intensities of mistrust. Political mistrust seems inherent even in advanced democracies and in semi-democracies, where citizens are better prepared and more prone to criticize the dysfunctions of institutions and condemn the misconduct of politicians. Political mistrust is greatly nourished in many countries by a wide practice of public corruption. Of particular sociological interest is the vulnerability of political elites and of their frequent condemnation to “civil death”.

Annotation This book, prepared under the hospices of the ISA research committee on Comparative Sociology, focuses on a worldwide phenomenon: political mistrust, observable in almost all countries, in established democracies and in authoritarian regimes. But ubiquity does not mean uniformity. The diversity of political regimes generates a wide diversity of forms and intensities of mistrust. It seems inherent even in the advanced democracies and in semi-democracies, where citizens are better prepared and more prone to criticize the dysfunctions of institutions and condemn the misconduct of politicians. Political mistrust is greatly nourished in many countries by a wide practice of public corruption. Of particular sociological interest is the vulnerability of political elites and of their frequent condemnation to "civil death." Erosion of confidence in thirty European democracies / Mattei Dogan Political mistrust in Latin America / Timothy J. Power and Giselle Jamison Political mistrust in Southeast Asia / William Case Political scandals / Sighard Neckel Norway: trust among elites in a corporatist democracy / Trygve Gulbrandsen France: political mistrust and the civil death of politicians / Mattei Dogan Nigeria: trust your patron, not the institution / Jean-Pascal Daloz Argentina: economic disaster and the rejection of the political class / Frederick C. Turner and Marita Carballo How civil war was avoided in France / Mattei Dogan.