Democracy Forum 2026: Role and place of trust in building a substantive democracy

DEMOCRACY FORUM 2026
Call for Papers
“Role and Place of Trust in Building a Substantive Democracy”

Nairobi, Kenya, July 2 – 3, 2026

The international system today—with fake news, conspiracy theories, declining voter turnout, non-participation in elections, and unilateral military actions in Ukraine, Iran, and Venezuela without legal or international law consideration—has made us rediscover the existential relevance of trust for democracy (Warren 2018).

This sense of democratic disenchantment, partly resulting from dysfunctional and often corrupt democratic systems (Akhatira, Moreira and Trucco 2022), as well as the gap between electoral promises and political actions (Novak and Krasovec 2025), has undermined democracy’s promise (Mbembe 2023). This experience is shared globally (Theuwis, Van Ham and Jacobs 2025).

At its core, democracy relies on citizen participation and trust in political systems (elections, legal protection, and accountability). However, we are witnessing declining levels of political trust (Fink-Hafner 2025) and satisfaction (Nun, Qian and Wen 2023). Contributing factors include dissatisfaction with service delivery and perceptions that political leaders lack honesty and integrity (Babos and Vilagi 2024).

Substantive democracy focuses on equitable outcomes, social justice, and meaningful citizen participation rather than procedural rituals like voting (Schedler 2019). It emphasizes equality (Mbembe 2020), human rights protection (Levitsky and Ziblatt 2019), reducing inequalities (Kis 2022), and empowering marginalized groups (Uslaner 1999).

Institutional trust is essential for the functioning of societies (Blajer de la Garza 2019). It extends beyond security concerns to include social cohesion and cooperation (Martinez 2022; Alberta 2022). Strengthening trust—especially at local levels and through intermediary bodies—is key to addressing modern democratic challenges (Cohen 1999).

In increasingly complex societies, trust is more necessary than ever (Mbembe 2021). It enables cooperation despite uncertainty (Scott 1999) and strengthens resilience (Nguyen 2022). High levels of trust among citizens and institutions underpin functional democratic systems (Mbembe 2022).

For Pierre Rosanvallon, trust is an “invisible institution” that fosters cooperation and social cohesion. It acts as the “oil of the democratic engine,” coordinating actions and enabling effective governance. Without trust, societies risk fragmentation, weakened cooperation, and instability (Ezcurra 2021).

Following the July 2025 Democracy Forum on civic space and governance in East Africa, organized with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Oriental Laboratory of the Innovation Foundation for Democracy continues this work by focusing on trust as a pillar of substantive democracy.

We invite scholars, researchers, civil society actors, activists, community leaders, and influencers to submit papers engaging with theoretical and empirical questions on trust as a foundational “social glue” of substantive democracy.

Panel Topics
Panel 1: Re-defining and re-considering the concept of trust in Africa
Structure, types of relations, domains, and measurement of trust
Rebuilding the trust loop and improving communication, consistency, and accountability

Panel 2: Institutional trust for substantive democracy
Trust in public institutions (justice, religion, politics, administration, security, economy, traditional systems)
Institutional responses to declining trust globally

Panel 3: Social and gender-based trust for substantive democracy
Social cohesion and equality
Inclusion of marginalized groups (women, youth, LGBTQ+, persons with disabilities)
Active participation beyond voting

Panel 4: Role of trust in strengthening substantive democracy
Legitimizing governance
Improving socioeconomic outcomes
Combating misinformation
Strengthening cooperation and reducing polarization

Panel 5: Rebuilding and maintaining trust
Citizen engagement (e.g., citizens’ assemblies)
Ethical leadership and rights protection
Addressing inequality and strengthening local governance

Important Submission Deadlines
Call for Papers: April 15, 2026
Submission Deadline: May 30, 2026
Notification of Acceptance: June 2, 2026
First Draft Submission: June 25, 2026
Democracy Forum: July 2 – 3, 2026

Submission Guidelines
Submissions must be original and not previously published.
Language: English only
Format: Word document

Submissions must include a title page with:
Title and selected panel
Author(s), affiliation(s), and email(s)
Abstract (maximum 200 words)
Keywords (maximum 5)
Formats

Classic Contribution:
Maximum 5 pages (excluding title page, references, and appendices).
Must include: introduction, research question, conceptual framework, methodology, results, discussion, and references.

Work-in-Progress Contribution:
Maximum 5 pages presenting ongoing research, with questions for discussion.

Submission Process
Submit a paper proposal (~500 words) to:
easternlabs@innovationdemocratie.org

CC:
cheptum.toroitich@innovationdemocratie.org

Deadline: May 30, 2026

Scientific Committee
Pr. Souleymane Bachir Diagne
Pr. Mamadou Diouf
Pr. Achille Mbembe
Organization Committee
Dr Richard Makon
Mr Demas Kiprono
Dr Jean Marc Segoun
Mrs Cheptum Toroitich
Dr Claude Bekombo