Venue: Eduard Biermann Auditorium
Chair: Gert Tinggaard Svendsen, Aarhus University
| 14.00-14.15 | Karsten Østerlund, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark: Understanding social capital in voluntary sports clubs: Participation, duration and social trust |
| 14.15-14.30 | Francisco Herreros et al, CSIC, Spain: Ethnicity and trust: an experimental approach |
| 14.30-14.45 | Jan Mewes, Umeå University, Sweden: The Dynamics of Generalized Trust: Lessons from the Great Recession |
| 14.45-15.00 | Discussion |
| 15.00-15.20 | Coffee |
| 15.20-15.35 | Lars Torpe, Aalborg University, Denmark: Voluntary associations and democracy. Is democratic government strengthened, when it faces a vigorous civil society? |
| 15.35-15.50 | Rolf Frankenberger and Daniel Buhr, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany: “Lebenswelt” (life world) and the creation of social and political trust |
| 15.50-16.05 | Saskia Fuchs and Peter Graeff, Kiel University, Germany: Civil society in Germany: pattern of influence between social trust, civil society, and economic performance |
| 16.05-16.20 | Kevin Anthony Perry, Aalborg University, Denmark: How trust and distrust can be understood as cultural frames |
International surveys show that Nordic populations are the most trusting people in the world. While the average percentage of people answering that they think that “most people can be trusted” is below 30, the three Scandinavian countries – Denmark, Norway and Sweden – hold an average of more than 60 percent, which makes them the most trusting nations in the world. High trust to strangers – termed social or generalized trust – correlate well with e.g. economic performance, low corruption, effective government, social integration and subjective well-being. But why are the Nordic populations so extremely trusting compared to the rest of the world? How is social trust created and destroyed? Turning to the literature, we find many explanations of the uneven cross-country distribution of social trust. A widespread explanation has been rich traditions of civic engagement, including voluntary associations. Other explanations include the impact of socialization, culture, religion, and the quality of state institutions. – Organised by Dr. Gert Tinggaard Svendsen (Political Science, Aarhus University).
