BOOKS BY MARIALAURA AMMIRATO

This book presents the Italian findings of the TRUEDEM (Trust in European Democracies) research project: citizens in modern democracies increasingly base their political judgements on rational assessments of the competence, integrity and accountability of institutions, rather than on ideological loyalty or clientelistic exchange. This framework proves particularly illuminating for understanding the Italian case, where traditional party alliances have collapsed.

The relationship between trust toward institutions and political actors and citizen participation in democratic life is undoubtedly a topic of great relevance in contemporary social and political research. This book stems from the experience accumulated on this issue as part of the Horizon TRUEDEM – Trust in European Democracies research: it allows us to present the results we have obtained regarding voter turnout, one of the most critical topics in research on representative democracies since it is considered an indicator of the legitimacy of political institutions.