Trust in political institutions is one of the key elements which make representative democracies work. Trust creates a connection between citizens and representative political institutions. Democratic governments which enjoy a large degree of trust also tend to have higher degrees of legitimacy and policy efficacy. In Europe's multi-level governance structure, it is imperative to learn more about the determinants of trust in EU institutions. With the increasing salience of EU issues, are domestic proxies still a key determinant of evaluating EU institutions? Are there differences across the institutions and across the member states?

Galina Zapryanova received her PhD in April 2011 from the University of Pittsburgh. She was a Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence Italy 2010-2011. Since receiving her doctorate, she has been working as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Truman State University in Missouri. In June 2012, Dr. Zapryanova will begin a research fellowship at the Mannheim Center for European Social Research in Mannheim, Germany.