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In this paper we study both long term and short term individual effects of political participation at the local level. Participatory theorists argue that political participation could lead to individual emancipation in terms of a rise of political knowledge and, in the long term, political trust. Indeed, in the short term the increased political knowledge associated with participation might enable citizens to better define their self-interest, which may be inconsistent with actual policies pursued by the local authorities and thus might be conductive to distrust. In the empirical part we will test these assertions using two-wave panel data for a random sample of 457 individuals in the district of Deurne (Antwerp -- Belgium). Our results suggest that in the short term participation leads to more local political knowledge and distrust in the local administration. However, we do not find a significant increase in political trust in the long term. Adapted from the source document.

Trust in citizens' outlooks
Trust in citizens' outlooks
Since 2008 the Netherlands Institute for Social Research | SCP conducts the Citizens' Outlooks Barometer (COB), which explores current trends in public opinion in the Netherlands. In the COB quantitative and qualitative research methods are combined to signal trends and new issues, to explain group differences, and to investigate the feelings and arguments behind public concerns. We use focus groups and open-ended survey questions for qualitative research. A main topic in COB has been the development and diversity of trust in political institutions. By combining numbers and arguments, we have tried to put political trust in perspective (it is often more a diffuse image than a deep conviction) and give a better understanding of the (asymmetric) reasons for trust and for distrust. We deal with the usual problems of representation and generalization in qualitative research as good as we can by discussing interpretations in our diverse research team. A main challenge is now to develop more systematic and less time-consuming ways to analyze large sets of open answers in surveys.

People like to live in a safe neighborhood. Areas with a variety of facilities like houses, offices and shops seem to be an important strategy to improve the safety of a neighborhood. More people on the streets means better social control, is the thought behind this strategy. But do people on the streets have consideration for each other? This book is a theory on urban environment, public familiarity and trust on the one hand. On the other it is a very practical plea for a careful planning and nuanced governance of the public space

Being yourself when doing fieldwork
Being yourself when doing fieldwork
The author has done research on delinquent behavior of Moroccan boys by doing fieldwork among them. Making sure the group of Moroccan boys accepted him in their midst took some convincing, as the author is sure you will understand. How do you get a group that is hostile towards society and carries a stigma to accept a researcher and cooperate with the research? In this article the author will explain how he went about gaining their trust mostly by being himself and with a bit of luck.