Primary Conditions for Institutional Trust in Ukraine during the Conflict

Tamilina, Larysa (2025): Primary Conditions for Institutional Trust in Ukraine during the Conflict.

Abstract

Using Ukraine as an example, this study explores how performance-based and ideational factors interact in shaping institutional trust under wartime conditions. Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) is employed to analyse their joint presence in configurations associated with high and low levels of trust in state institutions. The findings suggest that trust is primarily shaped by performance indicators—economic satisfaction, perceived corruption, and personal safety—while ideational factors such as national identity, war-related ideologies, and democratic values play a secondary role. However, misalignment with dominant ideational narratives tend to exacerbate distrust during conflict, especially when institutional performance is perceived as weak. These results are used to argue that a divergence may appear between regime and institutional legitimacy in conflict-affected regions.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Institutional trust, interstate conflicts, legitimacy, Ukraine, fsQCA.
• Subjects: C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C1 - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General; K - Law and Economics > K4 - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior; P - Economic Systems > P2 - Socialist Systems and Transitional Economies

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