Political discontent in old and new democracies

In the last two or three decades, global political changes have affected old and new democracies in different manners. All over the world, comparative research on democratization has showed that political distrust is a common variable affecting the whole of the State and the relationship between citizens and the democratic regime. Nevertheless, while political discontent in old democracies has stimulated citizens to adopt new political attitudes and modes of political participation, and sometimes to defend political reform, in many newly democratized countries citizens tend to withdraw from politics as a consequence of institutional distrust. In fact, in different new democracies, although the majority of the public adheres to the normative meaning of the democratic regime, distrust of democratic institutions is associated with citizens' negative feelings about political efficacy, low levels of political interest and political participation, and even preference for democratic models which exclude political parties and/or parliaments. This monographic section evaluates then the meanings and consequences of the contemporary phenomenon of political discontent in different countries of the world and discusses its implications for the empirical theory of democracy. © 2011 University of Rome 'La Sapienza'.