Populist-Economic-Narratives-and-Institutional-Trust-in-Transitional-Democracies-The-Case-of-Albania

Abstract

Abstract Economic insecurity has become a defining feature of political life in many transitional democracies, yet its relationship with institutional trust remains insufficiently explained. Existing scholarships often assume a direct link between economic performance and political legitimacy, treating trust as a rational response to material outcomes. This article challenges that assumption by arguing that economic conditions acquire political meaning primarily through narrative mediation, particularly in contexts marked by weak institutions and prolonged transition. Drawing on a concept-driven qualitative approach and secondary data sources, the study examines how populist economic narratives shape public perceptions of insecurity and institutional trust in Albania. By integrating theoretical perspectives on populism, political communication, and institutional legitimacy with survey evidence and policy documents, the article demonstrates that populist actors do not merely respond to economic hardship but actively construct it through interpretive 1 Klajdi Logu is a lecturer and researcher at the European University of Tirana. His work focuses on political sociology, populism, and democratic governance, with particular attention to institutional trust and transitional contexts. He has published on populist rhetoric and democratic erosion in international peer-reviewed journals. 24 ECONOMICUS No. 25, ISSUE 1/ 2026 frames of blame, protection, and sacrifice. These narratives reorganize expectations toward institutions, allowing political authority to be sustained despite persistent economic uncertainty. Rather than viewing trust as a simple outcome of governance performance, the analysis conceptualizes institutional trust as a relational and discursively mediated phenomenon. The findings show that economic insecurity functions less as a destabilizing force than as a resource for narrative alignment, enabling leaders to redirect legitimacy toward personalized authority while representative institutions remain weakly trusted. The article contributes to debates on populism and democratic resilience in three ways: by conceptualizing economic insecurity as a politically constructed experience, by reframing institutional trust as dependent on narrative coherence rather than outcomes alone, and by situating these dynamics within the structural conditions of transitional democracies. Albania is treated not as an exceptional case, but as illustrative of broader patterns shaping contemporary democratic governance.