Full Description
Although many scholars are convinced of the apparent civic disengagement of youth, others suggest that civic participation of young people is stable and increasingly expressed through non-institutionalized forms of practicing politics.
This book makes a key contribution to this discussion by asking whether the "decline or shift" paradigm is sufficient in understanding political participation of the youth. It argues that we need to move beyond this framework and develop a renewed reflection on the meaning of "civic and political engagement". It asks crucial questions such as:
How can the young be educated into assuming civic and political responsibility?
Why and how do young people engage in social and political action?
How do the principal mediating institutions (education, media and the family) contribute to new or different forms of youth civic engagement?
This text contains contributions from acknowledged specialists such as Constance Flanagan, Mark Elchardus, Marc Hooghe and Bert Klandermans and will be of key interest to students and scholars of youth and young citizens, civic & political involvement, European politics, youth studies, sociology, political participation and electoral behaviour.
Contents
Preface Sara Mels & Jacques Haers Introduction: Bridging the Transatlantic Schism Peter Thijssen, Jeroen Van Laer & Jessy Siongers Part 1 - Context: Change in time and space Youth Engagement in Politics: Generational Differences and Participation Inequalities Marc Hooghe & Joris Boonen Explaining Vote Choices of the Young: Contextually Embedded Issues and Stakes Peter Thijssen How Does the Spanish 'Crisis Generation' Relate to Politics? Gema García Albacete, Javier Lorente & Irene Martín Part 2 - Mapping civic engagement/practices Demonstrating Youth. A Comparison of Younger and Older Demonstrators Bert Klandermans Participatory Versatility in Flanders: A Multiple Correspondence Analysis Lesley Hustinx & Henk Roose 'Adventurers', 'Visionaries' and 'Professionals': Navigating Opportunities for Youth Participation in the UK and Greece Maria Tsekoura Part 3 - Keys to transformation/Mediating Change The Often Announced Decline of the Modern Citizen: An Empirical, Comparative Analysis of European Young People's Political and Civc Engagement Mark Elchardus & Jessy Siongers Classroom Climate Effects on Adolescents' Orientations toward Political Behaviors: A Multilevel Approach Katharina Eckstein & Peter Noack Adolescents' Experiences with Collective Decision-Making: The Role of Different Contexts and Educational Track Hessel Nieuwelink, Femke Geijsel, Geert ten Dam & Paul Dekker Epilogue: Adolescents' Theories of the 'Social Contract' Constance Flanagan
