This volume provides a state-of-the-art assessment of citizens' beliefs in the legitimacy of modern Western democracies, an overview of current explanations of fluctuations in these beliefs (both over-time and cross-national), and a perspective on fruitful future lines of investigation into political legitimacy.

PART 1: LEGITIMACY AND REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY: STATE OF THE ART, CONCEPTS, AND TRENDS; PART 2: WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEORIES OF LEGITIMACY DECLINE? RE-APPRAISING EXISTING THEORIES; PART 3: DIVERGING TRENDS? EXPLAINING WITHIN AND BETWEEN COUNTRY DIFFERENCES IN POLITICAL SUPPORT; REFLECTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

Provides a thorough analytical framework Features contributions from leading scholars in the field Provides an important theoretical contribution to research on democratic legitimacy It addresses highly prominent issues such as the quality of representative democracy, the quality of government, and the future of democracy and democratic legitimacy in the aftermath of the economic crisis

Carolien van Ham is a Lecturer in Comparative Politics at the University of New South Wales. Her research focuses on legitimacy and political representation, election integrity and democratization. She has published articles in numerous scholarly journals such as the European Journal of Political Research, Democratization, Government and Opposition, West European Politics, and Electoral Studies. Jacques Thomassen is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Twente and a member of the Netherlands Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences. His publications include Elections and Representative Democracy (OUP, 2014), The Legitimacy of the European Union after Enlargement (OUP, 2009), and The European Voter. Kees Aarts is Professor of Political Science at the University of Twente and University of Groningen, and Dean of the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences at the University of Groningen. His publications include Political Leaders and Democratic Elections (co-edited with Andre Blais and Herman Schmitt, OUP, 2011), and he currently servces as co-editor of Acta Politica. Rudy Andeweg is Professor of Political Science at Leiden University and a member of the Netherlands Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is Chair of the European Consortium for Political Research 2015-2018. His publications include Governance and Politics of the Netherlands, fourth edition (co-authored with Galen A. Irwin, Palgrave, 2014), and Puzzles of Government Formation (co-edited with Lieven De Winter and Patrick Dumont, Routledge, 2011).

Provides a thorough analytical framework Features contributions from leading scholars in the field Provides an important theoretical contribution to research on democratic legitimacy It addresses highly prominent issues such as the quality of representative democracy, the quality of government, and the future of democracy and democratic legitimacy in the aftermath of the economic crisis