Practices Of Political Participation Research Articles

Risk reflections as a factor for choosing forms of political participation (results of the all-Russian survey)

The article focuses on the populations perception and understanding of their vulnerability to dangers, assessment of risks, threats and environmental security in the context of all these factors influence on political and social relations. The authors consider a number of issues related to the influence of social-demographic characteristics, political attitudes, level and quality of life on the perception of risks; identify social, institutional and political grounds of risk perception. The article aims at identifying the relationship between risk reflections of different social groups in the Russian society and practices of political participation. The article is based on the data of the all-Russian survey conducted in November 2019 with the support of the Resource Center of the Science Park of the Saint Petersburg State University Sociological and Internet Studies. The authors show the attitude of Russians to real actual threats, their willingness to participate in mass protests and various forms of political action. Based on the analysis of z-values, the authors show a possible relationship between the structure of real threats and the willingness of social groups to participate in political actions, and also the impact of age, profession, and income on this relationship. The authors identified groups more inclined to non-conventional political action. Their potential protest is determined not only by dissatisfaction with the level and quality of life, but also by solidarity with other groups and the desire to improve the situation.

СУПЕРЕЧНОСТІ ДЕМОКРАТИЧНОЇ МОДЕРНІЗАЦІЇ УКРАЇНСЬКОГО СУСПІЛЬСТВА ЯК ДЖЕРЕЛА ПОСИЛЕННЯ СОЦІАЛЬНОЇ НАПРУЖЕНОСТІ

The article, in accordance to its main purpose, is devoted to the research of the contradictions of the social tensions political determinants as the specific sources of the strengthening in the contemporary Ukrainian society. The author’s conceptual point of view towards the problem under research is presented in the following scientific conclusions. It is estimated that difficulties of the national political system reformation has led to the citizens political consciousness deformation and a political corruption increase. It is argued that, the contemporary Ukrainian society, according to the basic parameters of its social identification, is a post-Soviet society with a democratic modernization being spontaneous and inconsistent. Today a political power of Ukraine supports the conservative scenario of democratic reforms, resulting in the resumption of the obsolete political system functional regimes, with the majority of the Ukrainian citizens being in a state of ambivalence regerding political institutions legality of which is neither supported by law nor morality. Empirical data of the sociological survays representative monitoring indicate the overwhelming majority of the population in relation to the democratic reforms process in Ukraine to be in a state of passivity not believing in their success. That is why Ukraine has formed and is consistently reproducing the political participation practices of the citizens being a real social source of the political corruption. It was found out that an important factor of the Ukrainian society social tension strengthening to be the uncertainty of the political strategy of the two interrelated fundamental problems solving: 1) the territorial integrity of Ukraine and 2) its social integrity. The existing global competition and the real functionality of the social order disorganization ontological factors, such as a social mistrust, corruption, deprivation, armed conflicts, and terrorist actions are the current obstacles to the social and political consolidation of the contemporary Ukrainian society.

“My Student Was Apprehended by Immigration”: A Civics Teacher's Breach of Silence in a Mixed-Citizenship Classroom

In this article, Dafney Blanca Dabach investigates how teachers and their students of different citizenship statuses navigate tensions in formal state-sponsored citizenship education. In traditional US high school civics courses, undocumented immigrant youths' liminal status is often invisible and overlooked as undocumented youth are educated alongside their peers who have full citizenship rights. Disjunctures between idealized rights and structural exclusions become barriers to meaningful civic education. Through this qualitative case study, Dabach examines the possibilities of a teacher's brokering role across different forms of knowledge and experience in a classroom that included undocumented immigrants, naturalized immigrants, and US-born students whose parental origins spanned twelve countries across five continents. She asks: How do civics teachers who are aware of their students' varied citizenship statuses discuss political participation in mixed-status classrooms during nationally focused events, such as elections? And, how do students of differing citizenship statuses respond during such times? Dabach demonstrates how the teacher apprenticed youth into practices of political participation while recounting narratives about the impact of immigration deportation policies at the local school site. In doing so, the teacher breached norms of silence, interrupting norms that contribute to maintaining status quo exclusions. This case study documents how the teacher simultaneously socialized youth of different citizenship statuses in ways that they found meaningful—across citizenship types. This work contributes to conceptualizing how civic education may be more inclusive in the face of systematic exclusions.

‘TASTES’ FOR POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: A LIFESTYLE APPROACH TO DEMOCRATIC DESIGN

This paper argues that practices of political participation can be seen as expressions of different styles of democratic citizenship. Through these styles, citizens exhibit certain ‘tastes’ for particular forms of political activity. Typical empirical analyses of lifestyles and styles of democratic citizenship are discussed. A reinterpretation of these findings according to cultural theory suggests a universe of basic ways of life underlying these citizenship styles. A lifestyle approach to democratic design that focuses on the match between participation opportunities and citizens' tastes for participation is proposed.

Cultural appropriation of political participation and concepts of democracy in greece

The present work explores aspects of political thinking of Greek adolescents in relation to civic education. The chapter aims to investigate the relationship of social and political education, as taught in high-school, to students’ concepts and attitudes centering on the way students (a) formulate attitudes towards anticipated political participation and (b) conceptualize democracy. The specific research questions refer to whether adolescents living in different cultural milieus develop different conceptions on issues of democracy and different practices of political participation. The analysis examines whether (i) there are differences in political concepts and practices among students; (ii) such differences are related to everyday experiences vis-à-vis prevailing concepts and attitudes that schooling aims at.

Disposition to vote and media consumption patterns among Chilean youth

This article discusses the relation between Chilean youth media consumption patterns and their disposition to vote. In this context, to what extent does news consumption and entertainment by Chilean youth influence their political participation patterns? Based on data from a national survey (N=1.000) of young individuals between 18 and 29 years old in the three major urban cities in Chile, we conclude that individuals’ news consumption and Facebook use are positively related to their disposition to vote. However, the consumption of entertainment news has a negative effect on individuals’ political participation practices.