Events

Online panel: Building Trust in Public Institutions – Communication, Governance and Participation

27 March, 15:00 CET

Across Europe and beyond, the Covid‑19 pandemic has coincided with declining trust in democratic institutions and science, growing social divisions, and widening inequalities. At the same time, new forms of political participation and civic engagement have emerged, from local mutual aid initiatives to transnational protest movements. This panel is part of INTERFACED’s effort to better understand these changes and the interfaces where citizens and institutions meet in everyday democratic life.

Participants will gain comparative perspectives on post‑pandemic participation and trust, and an opportunity to contribute their own observations to the INTERFACED research.

Why this conversation now?

INTERFACED is a three‑year Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action project that investigates how people participate in politics in eight European countries and Tunisia since the onset of the Covid‑19 pandemic. One of its core concerns is how “interfaces” between citizens and institutions enable or limit meaningful involvement in decision‑making.

Trust in public institutions plays a central role in how these interfaces function. In contexts marked by democratic and scientific mistrust, policy responses to crises, and intensifying inequalities, the question is not only whether people participate, but under what conditions they feel able to rely on institutions.

This conversation brings together researchers and practitioners to discuss emerging insights from different national and thematic contexts, including direct democracy, climate and human rights activism, and post‑pandemic governance.

Agenda (CET)​

• 15:00–15:10 – Opening and introduction
  • Bojan Bobic & Veronica Davidov (Edgeryders)
• 15:10–15:50 – Lightning inputs (4 x 10min)
  • Flaviana Palmisano (Sapienza University of Rome)
  • Caroline Vernaillen (Democracy International)
  • Adel Azouni (UPA Développement international)
  • Nerea Gándara Guerra (Universidad Carlos III of Madrid)
• 15:50–16:10 – Moderated discussion
  • Moderation: Veronica Davidov (Edgeryders)
• 16:10–16:25 – Audience Q&A (questions collected via this platform post)
• 16:25–16:30 – Closing and next steps
  • Bojan Bobic