Building Trust: The Role of Judicial Communication in New Democracies

• In Event: Democracy and Courts: Navigating Backsliding and Building Trust

Abstract

Courts in new democracies sometimes encounter challenges in gaining public trust, even after achieving judicial independence. In this article, I look at the role that judicial communication plays in fostering public trust in the judiciary. I argue that judicial reform, which promotes effective communication between the public and the judiciary branch, fosters public trust in the judiciary. This is because improved communication enhances the public's understanding of the courts. To test my hypothesis, I analyze a unique judicial reform in Taiwan, where a public engagement-oriented communication strategy, involving the use of social media to disseminate information, was introduced. Using in-depth interviews with judicial officers from the Judicial Yuan and a difference-in-differences design, I find that (1) judges wish to gain public support by making the judicial message clear and heard, and (2) public engagement-oriented judicial communication induces trust toward the judiciary. My findings provide implications for how courts in new democracies can employ communication strategies to bolster their legitimacy.

Author

• Yu-Hsien Sung, University of North Texas