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democratic accountability

March 27, 2026

Is trust learned or earned? Lessons from adolescents

Linde Stals Democratic legitimacy runs on citizens’ trust in public institutions. We often assume citizens critically monitor their institutions, only granting trust when they perform well. However, Linde Stals and Carmen van Alebeek show that much of this institutional trust is learned, rather than earned. Their findings raise important questions about democratic accountability Read more

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