How citizen participation facilitates trust in public institutions: a cross-national analysis of South Asia

We examine how citizen participation in public protests, public voting, official engagements, and political participation moderates the relationship between perceived public service quality and trust in public institutions in South Asia. Drawing on the South Asian Barometer Survey, we propose that in countries with mature democracies, citizen participation moderates the relationship between perceived public service quality and trust in public institutions more strongly compared to late democratic adopters. Contrary to our expectations, perceived public service quality shows a significant negative impact on trust in public institutions in both mature and late democratic adopters in South Asia. We demonstrate that in countries with mature democracies, citizen participation moderates the relationship between perceived public service quality and public trust in public institutions more strongly compared to late democratic adopters. Policymakers and practitioners should consider the contextual differences that influence citizens’ participation as a means of enhancing trust in public institutions.