Pragmatic Citizens – A Bottom-Up Perspective on Participatory Politics

PhD by Hannah Werner (KU Leuven and Universiteit van Amsterdam), supervisors: Sofie Marien, Wouter van der Brug & Marc Hooghe

Abstract

Across established democracies, concerns about citizens’ dissatisfaction with the way politics works are regu‐ larly voiced in the scholarly and public debate alike. The deficit in perceived democratic legitimacy is reflected in low levels of trust in political institutions and politicians, more specifically, lack of public compliance and coopera‐ tion, strong support for populist and protest parties, and a general feeling that politics is out of touch with ordinary citizens. In this context, policy‐makers and scholars have experimented with the establishment of participatory processes – ranging from nationwide referendums to small-scale deliberative citizen panels – that are expected to counteract this deficit in perceived legitimacy. But is it actually working? Can participatory processes tackle resentment and strengthen perceptions of democratic legitimacy? Hannah Werner’s doctoral dissertation Pragmatic Citizens provides insights into these questions by focusing on citizens’ perceptions of participatory processes.