The first REDRESS dissertation is a fact! On May 29, Jelle Turkenburg successfully defended his dissertation The Best of Both Worlds? The Effects of Hybrid Democratic Innovations on Public Political Support at the University of Twente.
In his dissertation, Jelle investigated a topical and important question: what influence do new hybrid forms of citizen participation have on citizens’ trust in democracy?
Curious about the answer to that question? Listen to Jelle’s interview on the radio program Dr. Kelder en Co or read the summary below.
Summary
Hybrid democratic innovations are often presented as offering the best of both worlds: the quality of dialogue in small-scale deliberations and the broad reach of large-scale voting. This thesis examines whether such processes can address concerns about political support among the general public, particularly political trust, perceived government responsiveness, and satisfaction with democracy. Drawing on four Dutch cases, it shows that their effects are more limited and conditional than is often assumed. Public awareness varies across cases and citizen groups, and tends to be higher among citizens for whom democratic concerns are less pronounced: politically engaged and politically satisfied citizens. Public awareness also centres mainly on the most visible stages, especially voting, while deliberation and outcomes remain less visible. In most cases, greater awareness of hybrid democratic innovations does not translate into increased political support. Citizens notice different elements of these processes, evaluate them against different standards, and weigh their advantages and disadvantages in different ways. This makes uniform increases in political support less likely. More positive perceptions of democratic legitimacy are possible when citizens have a more detailed awareness of the process, although such perceptions also tend to be stronger among politically satisfied citizens. Together, this thesis offers a citizen-centred assessment of the democratic potential of hybrid democratic innovations and their place in wider efforts at democratic renewal.
