Making democracy perform - why Honduran youth don’t trust in democratic institutions: Making democracy perform - why Honduran youth don’t trust in democratic institutions

Thorlund, Michael

4. term

Development and International Relations, Master

2016

2016-07-29

60

Specialet undersøger, hvorfor unge i Honduras (15–24 år) har lav tillid til demokratiske institutioner, ved at sammenligne to forklaringsspor: demokratisk performance og civisk kultur. Med et kausalt forskningsdesign formuleres to hypoteser, som testes via en kombination af kvantitative opinionsundersøgelser fra 2004–2015, systematisk aggregeret i indikatorer, og kvalitativ litteratur om Honduras for at styrke den interne validitet. Resultaterne peger på, at mistilliden primært skyldes oplevede politiske performanceproblemer: forværret borgersikkerhed, stigende korruption og en udbredt opfattelse af, at det politiske system er ude af stand til at håndtere disse udfordringer. Derimod ses ingen sammenhæng mellem unges tillid og økonomisk performance (servicelevering, jobmuligheder, privatøkonomi), og mål for civisk engagement og social kapital viser heller ingen empirisk kobling til institutionel tillid. Studiet bidrager til forskningen i lav demokratisk tillid i Latinamerika og viser værdien af at fokusere på unge som en særskilt befolkningsgruppe i ikke-konsoliderede demokratier.

This thesis examines why young people in Honduras (ages 15–24) have low trust in democratic institutions by comparing two explanations: democratic performance and civic culture. Using a causal research design, it formulates two hypotheses and tests them with a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative public-opinion surveys from 2004–2015, systematically aggregated into indicators, with qualitative literature on recent developments in Honduras to strengthen internal validity. The findings indicate that distrust is driven mainly by perceived failures in political performance—worsening citizen security, rising corruption, and a belief that the political system cannot address these problems. By contrast, perceptions of economic performance (service delivery, job opportunities, personal finances) show no correlation with youths’ institutional trust, and measures of civic engagement and social capital are likewise unconnected. The study contributes to debates on declining democratic trust in Latin America and illustrates the value of focusing on youth as a specific subgroup in unconsolidated democracies.

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Thorlund, Michael:

• Making democracy perform: Why Honduran youth don’t trust in democratic institutions (2016)