Ermira Babamusta

Political Trust in Kosovo Ermira Babamusta

What are the key factors that affect political trust in a transitional democracy? This question is at the core of the scholarly academic book, Political Trust in Kosovo: Examining Cultural and Institutional Dynamics. This book emerges from a 10-year scientific study, conducted from field research of the political elite and experts in Kosovo. The study uses two original datasets dating from 2012-2013 survey (220 participants) and 2017-2018 survey (40 participants). In this book, Dr. Babamusta dives into trust perceptions across different political-legal institutions and actors, including the Kosovo Specialist Court, the U. S. Embassy in Kosovo, NATO, the U. N., the E. U., Kosovo police and legal system, and media. Low levels of political trust pose a serious threat to democracy. A certain degree of trustworthiness in institutions is a necessary precondition for the legitimacy, fairness, and democratic governance. Therefore, trust in political institutions is vital to the democratic functioning of the state. The findings show that at the macro level the functioning of democracy and political institutions matter to political trust