Researchers, policymakers and the representatives of international organisations increasingly use the term “social contract” to describe relations between societal groups and a state. The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, for example, has declared that “now is the time to renew the...

This paper examines the erosion of trust as a global phenomenon, highlighting its implications for social cohesion and governance. Using data from the World Values Survey and regional barometers, the analysis focuses on trust's dual dimensions-interpersonal and institutional-within different...

State building and state legitimacy in the states emerging from fragility are inseparable from the notion of social contract. In the countries where the youth only know statelessness-or a complete absence of state institutions-building a new social contract from the ground up becomes an even...