Trust in elected representatives and the political institutions within which they operate is often emphasised as a prerequisite for citizens’ political participation. While research has indeed shown a positive correlation between political trust and participation, it has contrarily also been suggested that low levels of trust might function as a driving force for participation. With empirical evidence remaining equivocal, the relationship between political trust and political participation is yet to be fully comprehended. By focusing on one case, using the latest available European Social Survey data, and examining trust and participation rates over time, this study aims at yielding further insight into this matter. The results from the study show that the relationship between political trust and political participation is indeed ambiguous. As anticipated, political trust correlates positively with voting and negatively with so-called non-institutionalised political participation. However, political trust also correlates negatively with so-called institutionalised participation, contrary to expectation and perhaps quite notable. The results additionally suggest that the categorisation of different participation types might benefit from a revision. Moreover, also perchance remarkable, the results show that levels of political trust and political participation have been stable over time. No decline can be noted for either trust or participation, despitere occurring claims of such developments. Based on the results of this study, low levels of political trust have neither become more widespread nor had a negative impact on political participation.

Les élus locaux veulent associer les citoyens, qui veulent pouvoir être entendus et peser dans les décisions. Ces propositions résument les enjeux d'une démocratie participative, à la fois comme idéal de gouvernement et comme norme de l'action publique locale. La thèse revient sur la mise à l'épreuve de l'impératif délibératif à l'échelle municipale, depuis les années 1990. L'enquête repose sur l'analyse des conditions sociales de la production et de la réception d'offres institutionnelles de participation, dans trois communes de 20 000 habitants. Au travers d'une approche inductive et pluri-méthodologique, nous proposons une sociologie de l'engagement participatif, entre études sur la socialisation politique et sur l'action publique locale. L'attention portée aux contextes, aux acteurs et aux formats de l'offre de participation, permet d'en constater l'institutionnalisation inaboutie et les appropriations socialement situées. Nous argumentons en faveur d'une compréhension dispositionnelle et situationnelle des parcours de participation et de non-participation, pour élaborer une théorie ancrée de l'engagement participatif, entre pouvoir et vouloir. Dans ce cadre, la possibilité intermittente d'une participation réalisée ne se comprend qu'au regard d'un engagement distancié, critiqué, empêché ou évité. En toute fin, si elle est une voie d'intéressement à un intérêt local commun, l'offre de participation voit sa portée sociale et politique fondamentalement limitée par l’encastrement de la participation dans la représentation. / This thesis studies political participation at local level and its implications for citizen engagement in public policy. Local elected representatives want to engage citizens in governance, citizens want to be heard and to influence policy making. Thus participatory democracy and deliberative imperative are considered as an ideal for government and a best practice in public action. This thesis focuses on "offers of participation" - opportunities for participation created by authorities for citizen - in French municipalities since 1990. I argue that these "offers" swing between thwart institutionalising and continuous experimenting. Empirical data are derived from the study of policies for implementing participatory democracy in three cities of 20 000 inhabitants. I discuss the social-historical anchorage of these political-­administrative constructions, the effects of their various design and the social conditions of their differentiate appropriations by citizens. I suggest a grounded theory of citizen engagement based on an inductive and multi-method approach. The analytical framework is based on the concepts of social dispositions and situations, in order to determine social conditions of patterns of participation and non-participation, as both faces of a similar phenomenon. The opportunity for an effective intermittent participation can only be understood in relation with a distanced, impeached, prevented or avoided participation. "Offers of participation" are a way to mobilise citizens on a common local interest. Though, their impact is narrowed by the fact that participation is imbedded in the system of political representation.