Library Lecture: Political trust lecture: politicians and elections

Trust in politics has always been important, but it has taken on added significance in recent years as major events have been characterised by low trust and increasing cynicism and scepticism about politics and politicians. Yet despite so much talk about the crisis of trust in democracy, there has been no sustained research that directly engages with the perspectives and experiences of politicians.

In this talk, Dr James Weinberg will tackle this important gap by asking not only whether the public trusts in politicians, but also whether politicians accurately perceive the trust placed in them, and how much our current age of distrust impacts politicians on a personal level. Ariadne Vromen will then dig deeper into what this could mean for Australian politicians in the face of an upcoming election.

Presenters
James Weinberg is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Political Science at the University of Sheffield in the UK. He has published influential books and journal articles on topics such as political trust, leadership, and candidate emergence. Weinberg has held elected positions on the executive committee of the UK Political Studies Association and works with a strong network of impact partners in UK parliamentary circles and civil society. In 2022, the Apolitical Foundation named him on a global list of ‘50 influential researchers whose work might help to shape 21st century politicians’ (Apolitical Foundation).

Ariadne Vromen is the Sir John Bunting Chair of Public Administration in the Crawford School of Public Policy, a position co-funded by ANU and the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG). She is a member of the Australian Political Studies Association Executive and its Past-President; and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. Ariadne’s long-term research interests include: citizen engagement, digital politics and governance, women and the future of work, policy advocacy, and young people and politics.
Booking

This free seminar will be held in the in the Parliament House Theatre, Parliament House.

This seminar will also be live streamed and recorded. You can access the live stream on the day at Watch, Read, Listen and youtube.com/@AUSParliamentLive.

A recording of the lecture will be made available on the Parliament of Australia website.

For further information, or if you have any accessibility requirements, call Nicholas Cumming on 02 6277 2610.