Judicial Performance and Trust in Legal Systems: Findings from a Decade of Surveys in over 20 European Countries
Published online on September 29, 2020
Abstract
["\n\nObjective\nDetermining the existence of a relationship between judicial performance and citizens’ trust in the legal system.\n\n\nMethod\nCross‐classified multilevel models, using data from more than 20 European countries, 80 surveys, and 100,000 respondents, over a decade.\n\n\nResults\nThe longer the time that lower courts take, on average, to dispose of pending cases, the lower is the public's trust in their legal system.\n\n\nConclusion\nJudicial performance, operationalized as the ability of courts to avoid delays in the delivery of justice, is a significant correlate of citizens’ evaluations of their country's legal system.\n\n", "Social Science Quarterly, Volume 101, Issue 5, Page 1743-1760, September 2020. "]