The political transition that took place in Eastern Europe almost two decades ago has brought geopolitically, legally and socially about significant changes to the societies involved, leaving their imprint on the countries' development for the subsequent years. The proposed research intends to analyse major societal and legal changes in the post-communist societies, in general, and Slovenia, in particular. It investigates the reasons behind, and effects of the changes on social trust and the loci of power and authority by drawing upon the achievements of the legal, sociological, criminological and social psychological sciences and on empirical evidence. Together, they are believed to provide new insights into the implications of these changes for social stability.

A closer look is taken at social trust in the judicial system and criminal law as they best reflect the (changes in) social values. This influence is not, however, analysed purely unidirectional as the law is recognised to be both influenced and influencing by nature. Hence, the research reflects upon the role of law and legal discourse in generating (dis)trust.

Considering that the media plays an important role in communicating and generating social representations - which, in turn, inform and fuel people's attitudes, values, beliefs, which affect trust - the project also examines its role in the formation of social trust. In conjunction with concrete examples of the changes in authority, order and trust and of the responses to these challenges locally, in Slovenia, and internationally, these insights are applied to assess whether the changes (and responses) are societyspecific or whether they are, at least in part, epiphenomena of a much more global(ised) trend. An explanation is sought for the emerging similarities, and possible solutions to tackle the decreasing social trust suggested.

The project hopes to call into discussion the structural and epistemological preconditions of the changes in social trust and authority, identified as changes in social security, in the part played by controversial denationalisation processes, and as a lack of viable political alternatives in the negotiation process for the accession to the European Union.