Conference of the Research Section „Comparative Politics“ of the German Political Science Association (Deutsche Vereinigung für Politikwissenschaft, DVPW)

“Citizen’s trust and societal polarization in times of transformation. Comparative Perspectives from different world regions”

March, 27th - March, 28th 2025, Saarland University

Organised by Saarland University and the University of Duisburg-Essen at Saarland University, Saarbrücken (Germany), in cooperation with: DVPW Standing Group ‘Democracy Research’, DVPW Standing Group ‘Dictatorship and Extremism Research’, DVPW Standing Group ‘European and Regionalism Research’, DVPW Standing Group ‘Political Parties’, Research Section „Comparative Politics“. Responsible contact persons: Daniela Braun, Kristina Weissenbach and Georg Wenzelburger.

Abstract

The main objective of this conference is to examine from various perspectives one of the most pressing issues of representative democracies: Citizen’s (dis-)trust in “their” political system, in institutions and politicians. To contextualize the study of trust and distrust more broadly, we also welcome submissions that examine the linkage between citizens and the state more generally – a linkage that can be expressed in different ways (for example: public opinion/citizens’ attitudes; political behavior such as political participation, civic engagement, protest behavior, but also feelings or emotions).

Across different world regions, citizens face times of rapid or long-term transformation related to migration and integration, climate change, technological change, gender inequalities, Europeanization or region-specific challenges, among other issues. These transformations cause uncertainty, frustration, the feeling of not being represented, insecurity or hate on the side of many citizens while others embrace the challenges in an entrepreneurial way. Accordingly, we observe the rise of societal polarization, social divides and disconnetion between citizens and the state and a new quality of distrust and mistrust in established politicians and political institutions.

These developments raise important questions – theoretically, empirically and practically - about how to regain citizen’s trust, to create solidarity and to re(build) linkages between citizens and the state in order to overcome the rise of societal polarization around the world. They become particularly pressing in light of new parties (such as challenger/populist/extreme parties) and players who add to these polarization processes and benefit from it.

The 2025 Conference of the Research Section “Comparative Politics” of the German Political Science Association wants to bring together scholars who examine these developments of citizen’s trust, linkage and societal polarization in context of the aforementioned transformations. We encourage panels and papers who examine various facets of these findings in a comparative way and invite regional, European and global perspectives. We especially welcome panel and paper proposals that focus on the demand side of citizen’s trust or even include citizen science approaches into their research designs. Contributions could for instance examine:

Citizen’s attitudes and different forms of behavior and representation as part of citizen’s trust.
The role of new parties and new players for societal polarization processes and citizen’s (dis-)trust in established structures and politicians of democratic political systems.
The connection between transformational processes in specific policy areas (migration and integration, climate change, technological change, gender inequalities, Europeanization, region-specific challenges) and citizen’s (dis-)trust in democracy.
New forms of participation and civic engagement within and beyond established institutions of democracy.
The role of AI and innovations in these engagement processes.
New forms of participatory governance strategies.
The nature and role of public spaces in these processes.
Emotional and psychological aspects of (dis-) trust and (dis-)linkage.

The Comparative Politics Research Section encourages different theoretical, conceptual and methodological approaches and welcomes the growing body of methods used in the field, in order to improve our understanding of the various facets of citizen’s (dis-)trust. It is open to various sub-disciplines, with different methodological and empirical approaches and with scopes ranging from single case studies to large-N comparative papers.

The conference topic is the result of two international research projects which are part of the Horizon Europe programme: ActEU (led by University of Duisburg-Essen & Saarland University) and PROTEMO (led by Saarland University).

Technical information

The conference aims to attract established scholars along with young academics (Ph.D. candidates and postdoctoral researchers) from across the world. It is a central aim of the German Political Science Association to increase the proportion of young scientists and women at its events, who are therefore particularly encouraged to participate.
The panels are held in (their entirety) in either German or English. The working language of the conference is German and English.
On 27 March 2025 from 17:30 - 19:00 o'clock in the auditorium of the UdS a keynote speech and a practical discussion on the topic of ‘Transformation and trust in politics’ will be held with the Minister President of Saarland, Ms Anke Rehlinger, moderated by Kristina Weissenbach, NRW School of Governance.
As part of the conference, a business meeting of the Section will be held on27 March 2025 from 16:00 - 17:00 o'clock.
The conference program is published on the conference website below. Further and/or updated information on this will be communicated to participants via this website - please check it regularly.
Participants can request a list of hotel rooms at special rates by sending an e-mail to tagung-dvpw-vergleich-2025(at)uni-saarland.de. The rooms are to be booked independently, stating the respective keyword.
Information on how to get to thevenue is available here. Please note, due to obstructions on the tracks, there are often delays when travelling by train to Saarbrücken.
An interactive map of the buildings on campus can be found here . Registration for the conference, the cloakroom and luggage storage can be found in the foyer of building A3 3.

Program

An overview of the panel planning and the supporting programme with details of time and location is available here.

Please note that there have been minor changes to the panel organisation. Should there be any further changes, we will update the website accordingly.

On Thursday, 27 March 2025, from 17:30 - 19:00, you are invited to take part in the keynote speech which will be followed by a practical talk on the topic of ‘Transformation and trust in politics’ with the Minister President of Saarland, Ms Anke Rehlinger, in the auditorium of Saarland University (Building A3 3). The practical talk is being organised in cooperation with the NRW School of Governance (Institute of Political Science, University of Duisburg-Essen). Ms Kristina Weissenbach, NRW School of Governance, will moderate the event and bring the discussions of the symposium into dialogue with the perspectives of the political personality.

Panels

Panel Chair: Daniela Braun (University Saarland), Kristina Weissenbach (University of Duisburg-Essen)

Paper 1: Climate Change, Political Participation and Political Efficacy
Bernd Schlipphak, Oliver Treib (University of Münster)

Paper 2: The Interplay of Specific and Diffuse Political Support – Investigating the Threat of Growing Climate Concerns
Jan Menzner (Goethe-University Frankfurt)

Paper 3: Party democracy in crisis? Analyzing the rise and fall of political parties
Simon Bein (Universität Regensburg)

Paper 4: Designing Institutions that Mobilize Trust: Results from a Conjoint Experiment
Alexander Geisler (University of St. Gallen), Edana Beauvais (Simon Fraser University), Mark E. Warren (University of British Columbia)

Panel Chair: Georg Wenzelburger (Saarland University)

Paper 1: The Outer Boundaries of Liberal-democratic Self-Defence: A Theoretical and Empirical Assessment
Nicole Bolleyer, Paula Guzzo Falci and Valentin Daur (LMU Munich)

Paper 2: Declining Trust and Divergent Ways Out: Economic Policies in Japan and Germany
Sara Konoe (Kansai University)

Paper 3: Redistribution Mood and Economic Inequalities
Lars Lott (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg)

Paper 4: The Influence of War, Climate Change, and Migration on Autocracy Acceptance in Germany
Katrin Brettfeld (University of Hamburg), Thomas Richter (GIGA German Institute for Global and Area Studies), Peter Wetzels (University of Hamburg), Diego Farren (University of Hamburg), Janosch Kleinschnittger (University of Hamburg & GIGA German Institute for Global and Area Studies)

Panel Chair: Katja Stempel (Saarland University)

Paper 1: Exploring Gendered Emotional needs in social representation of protection related to migrant women in Italy
Miriam Jawadi (CES)

Paper 2: The emotional dimension of policy-related communication: A Covid-19 case study
Katja Stempel (Saarland University)

Paper 3: Democracy Talk in German Parliamentary Speeches between 1919 and 2019
Lea Kaftan, David Knoll (Uni Konstanz)

Panel Chair 1: Max-Valentin Robert, Felix-Christopher von Nostitz (ESPOL-LAB (ESPOL), Institut Catholique de Lille)

Paper 1: Interpersonal trust as a determinant of political trust: a European overview
Max-Valentin Robert, Felix-Christopher von Nostitz (ESPOL-LAB (ESPOL), Institut Catholique de Lille)

Paper 2: Populism as a Problem of Social Trust? A Comparative Analysis
Maximilian Filsinger (ESPOL-LAB (ESPOL), (Institut Catholique de Lille); Steffen Wamsler (Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories, Bamberg); Markus Freitag (University of Bern)

Paper 3: Triggers, emotions and motivations behind changing patterns of participation
Kristina Weissenbach (University of Duisburg-Essen); Louisa Parks (University of Trento), Felix-Christopher von Nostitz (ESPOL), Max-Valentin Robert (ESPOL)

Paper 4: Semi-Loyalty towards democracy and party distrust
Simon Franzmann (Universität Göttingen)

Panel Chair: Giuseppe Carteny (University of Saarland), Ann-Kathrin Rothermel (University of Bern)

Paper 1: Constructing Complexity: the link between Neoliberal Critiques, Societal Polarization, and Far-Right Anti-Gender Rhetoric in Contemporary Europe
Valentina Nerino (University of Bern), Ann-Kathrin Rothermel (University of Bern)

Paper 2: Between consensus and conflict: The politicisation of gender-related issues in European party competition and public opinion
Giuseppe Carteny (University of Saarland), Louise Luxton (Manchester University)

Paper 3: Populism, politicization, and civic epistemologies: epistemic practices amongst right-wing populists in Denmark
Colm Flaherty (Roskilde University)

Paper 4: Exploring the links between political distrust and gender backlash in Europe. Findings from the UNTWIST project
Pablo Ortiz Barquero (Pablo de Olavide University), Mariana Sendra Gallardo (Deusto University), Daniel Romero Portillo (Pablo de Olavide University)

Panel Chair: Moritz Rehm (Saarland University)

Paper 1: Sorting on Brexit: issue partisanship under extreme conditions
Paolo Chiocchetti (HU Berlin)

Paper 2: Protests and Partisan Polarisation in Germany
Michael C. Zeller (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München), Priska Daphi (Universität Bielefeld)

Paper 3: Decoding digital discontent: How interplay of identity and emotions fuel online political hostility
Monika Verbalyte (Europa-Universität Flensburg), Kavyanjali Kaushik (Univesidad Carlos III de Madrid)

Panel Chair: Lukas Grundsfeld (Free University Berlin), Djamila Jabra (Saarland University)

Paper 1: Explaining variance in the politicization of International Organizations in the Global South. Evidence from the intervention theatre in the Sahel
Friedrich Plank (Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität Mainz)

Paper 2: Strategic perceptions of the war in Ukraine and European defence and their politicization in France and Germany. An exploration of citizen, and MoPs and parties representations of security and defence in post-2022 France and Germany
Delphine Deschaux-Dutard (University Grenoble Alpes, CESICE)

Panel Chair: Philipp König (Saarland University)

Paper 1: Polarized We-Feelings? Facets of European Identity and its Role in Political Polarization in Germany
Philipp König (Saarland University)

Paper 2: European identity and emotional attachment to the European Union among the forcibly displaced Ukrainians
avlo Kravchuk (Junior Researcher PROTEMO project / Centre for Social Studies of University of Coimbra)

Paper 3: Can EU scepticism be productive? European Studies in times of fierce EU contestation
Timm Beichelt (Professur für Europa-Studien)

Panel Chair: Morten Harmening (Leibniz University Hannover), Dominic Nyhuis (Leibniz University Hannover)

Paper 1: Political Violence and Partisan Reactions on Polarised Debates
Teresa Völker, Daniel Saldivia Gonzatti (WZB Berlin Social Science Center)

Paper 2: Organized crime and political participation
Veronica Hurtado Lozada (School of Government, Adolfo Iba´nez University) & Mariana Ramirez Bustamante (Heidelberg Center for Ibero-American Studies, Heidelberg University)

Paper 3: Wartime sexual violence and trust: The lasting legacy of World War II
Alina Greiner-Filsinger (University of Mannheim), Max Schaub (Universität Hamburg/WZB Berlin)

Paper 4: How democratic are the militants? Right wing extremist political attitudes in the Bundeswehr
Markus Steinbrecher (Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Sciences); Heiko Biehl (Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Sciences)

Panel Chair: Benjamin Höhne (TU-Chemnitz), Kristina Weissenbach (University of Duisburg-Essen)

Paper 1: Elite Cues and Perceptions of Electoral Integrity
Christina-Marie Juen (TU Darmstadt/Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg), Martin Gross (LMU München), Christian Stecker (TU Darmstadt)

Paper 2: Party policy ambiguity and citizens‘ satisfaction with parties and democracy
Roni Lehrer (University of Mannheim), Felix Jäger (University of Konstanz)

Paper 3: Class-Based Congruence and Political Trust
Lucca Hoffeller (Goethe University Frankfurt); Nils D. Steiner (Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) Mainz)

Paper 4: Harmful by all means? The surprising relation between affective polarization and political support.
Toine Fiselier (European University Institute)

Panel Chair: Norma Osterberg-Kaufmann, Christoph Mohamad-Klotzbach

Panel 1:

Paper 1: Autocracy-Related Political Socialization and Young People’s Democratic Attitudes and Political Self-Efficacy
Simone Abendschön and Tim Schmidt (Uni Gießen)

Paper 2: Constructing a Demos: An Examination of Local Politicians’ Attitudes toward Democratic Membership in the US.
Jessica Kuhlmann (University of Siegen)

Paper 3: How Do Singaporeans View Democracy – Pragmatism Trumps Liberal Democracy
Norma Osterberg-Kaufmann (HU Berlin)

Panel 2:

Paper 1: Political Legitimating Processes in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq from 1991 to 2023
Kamal Chomani (University of Leipzig)

Paper 2: Time passes, memory fades. Democracy and the problem of reification
Thomas Kestler (University of Würzburg)

Paper 3: Contested Visions: Divergent Conceptions of Democracy in the EU Eastern Neighborhood
Tina Freyburg, Alexander Geisler, Ioannis Vergioglou (University of St. Gallen)

Panel Chair: Thomas Richter (GIGA)

Paper 1: Affective polarization, pre-electoral coalition formation and consideration set models of electoral behavior
Alejandro Ecker (Heidelberg University)

Paper 2: Divided We Fall? Intra-Party Strategies Towards the Radical Right in the Swedish and German Center-Right
Sanna Salo (Finnish institute of international affairs)

Paper 3: Thriving or Thwarted? Executive Personalization and Constraints amidst the COVID19 Pandemic
Emilia Arellano, Martin Acheampong, David Kuehn, Mariana Llanos, Thomas Richter (GIGA German Institute for Global and Area Studies)

Paper 4: Building or Losing Trust? Constitutional Court Rulings in Climate Change Cases
David Schweizer (University of Mannheim)

Panel Chair: Felix Hörisch (HTW Saar)

Paper 1: Geographical Divides in Citizens’ Discontent
Kathrin Ackermann (University of Siegen), Antonia Lang (Goethe University Frankfurt)

Paper 2: Place-based policies and Politicians Sentiment on the EU: Analysis of Twitter content by German candidates
Johannes Lattmann (University of Mannheim)

Paper 3: Right-Wing Populist Party Preference in Rural and Urban Areas
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Tuuli-Marja Kleiner (Institut für Lebensverhältnisse in ländlichen Räumen (LV) / Thünen Institute of Rural Studies)

Paper 4: Der Einfluss des Strukturwandels auf die Demokratiezufriedenheit im Saarland
Paulina Holz (HTW Saar), Felix Hörisch (HTW Saar) & Christina Pöhland (HTW Saar)

Panel Chair: Susanne Garritzmann (Frankfurt University)

Paper 1: Beyond Representation: Understanding Conspiracy Believers’ Political Decision-Making Preferences
Dr. Anne Küppers (University of Jena)

Paper 2: Gendered School Experiences and Populist Attitudes
Susanne Garritzmann, Staffan Kumlin, Nadja Wehl, Marius Busemeyer (Uni Konstanz)

Paper 3: Fridays for Future and the populist paradigm: The participatory potential of generational populism
Charlotte Meier (Leipzig University)

Paper 4: A Comparative Framework for Analyzing the Effects of Political Efficacy in Tackling Conspiracism
Stefan Christoph, Prof. Dr. Oliver Hidalgo, (Universität Passau)

Panel Chair: Alex Hartland (Saarland University)

Paper 1: Transcending Borders, Bearing Scars: The Impact of Past State Repression on Migrant Political Participation in Germany
Sarah Bassisseh (Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen)

Paper 2: Political Trust and Migrant Groups
Alex Hartland (University of Saarland)

Paper 3: Partisanship, Muslimhood, and Polarization. Evidence from 25 European Countries
Thomas König (University Mannheim), Tristan Muno (University Mannheim)

Panel Chair: Georg Wenzelburger (Saarland University)

Paper 1: A threat to democracy? Water conflicts in France and Germany
Lena Partzsch (FU Berlin)

Paper 2: Water Under Pressure: Justice Conceptions and Justification of Practices in Local Contestations
Henriette Schubert-Zunker (Technical University of Berlin)

Paper 3: Parteidifferenzen in der Landwirtschafts- und Klimapolitik in Zeiten gesellschaftlicher Polarisierung
Lars Rumpf, Johanna Künzler, Colette Vogeler (Deutsche Universität für Verwaltungswissenschaften Speyer)

Paper 4: The Partially Hidden Demand For Non-Democratic Climate (In-)Action
Jan Menzner (Goethe-University Frankfurt)

Panel Chair: Alexander Hartland (Saarland University)

Paper 1: Ego-Centric Networks and Armed Group Mobilization: An Exploratory Study of the Kosovo Liberation Army
Sushobhan Parida (Leipzig University)

Paper 2: Community-wide effects of a randomised citizen council
Antonia May & Sebastian Ziaja (GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences)

Panel 3: The Polarizing Impact of Anti-Democratic Foreign Influence on Citizens’ Commitment to Democracy
Julia Schulte-Cloos, Victoria Palchikova (University of Marburg)

Panel Chair: Veronica Hera (OECD Trust Survey team)

Paper 1: Eppur si Muove. Social Mobility and Political Trust in Latin America
Castellar Granados (Instituto de Iberoamérica, University of Salamanca. Salamanca, Spain)

Paper 2: Institutional Power and Citizen Participation: Key Drivers of Trust in Regional Organisations
María Rodríguez Alcázar (Doctoral Researcher at Ghent University & UNU-CRIS)

Paper 3: How does the redefinition of citizenship through sortition experiments affect political trust?
Vincent Aerts (Université de Liège)

Panel Chair: Elena Frech (University Bamberg)

Paper 1: From Constituency to Continent: Measuring the Evolving Focus of MEPs' Parliamentary Questions (1979-2024)
Jeremy Dodeigne, Elena Frech and Nelson Leonardo Rodrigues dos Santos (Research Institute Transitions, University of Namur)

Paper 2: How to advance trust in elected politicians? The promises and constraints of descriptive representation
Thomas Zittel (Goethe-University Frankfurt), Manuel Diaz Garcia (Goethe-University Frankfurt), Stefanie Bailer (University of Basel), Jana Boukemia (University of Basel), Daniel Höhmann (University of Basel)

Paper 3: Bridging the Age Gap: Are Young Citizens' Preferences Better Reflected by Young Legislators?
Julius Diener (Universität Mannheim), Mathis Brinkmann (Leuphana Universität Lüneburg)