0491042 - SOÚ 2019 RIV GB eng B - Monography
Vráblíková, Kateřina
What Kind of Democracy? Participation, Inclusiveness and Contestation.
Abington, Oxon: Routledge, 2017. 230 s. ISBN 978-1-138-65376-4
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-29032S
Institutional support: RVO:68378025
Keywords : political participation * political attitudes * citizenship
OECD category: Political science

The broad expansion of non-electoral political participation is considered one of the major changes in the nature of democratic citizenship in the 21st century. Most scholars – but also governments, transnational and subnational political institutions, and various foundations – have adopted the notion that contemporary democratic societies need a more politically active citizenry. Yet, contemporary democracies widely differ in the extent to which their citizens get involved in politics beyond voting. Why is political activism other than voting flourishing in the United States, but is less common in Britain and almost non-existent in post-communist countries like Bulgaria? The book shows that the answer does not lie in citizen’s predispositions, social capital or institutions of consensual democracy. Instead, the key to understanding cross-country differences in political activism beyond voting rests in democratic structures that combine inclusiveness and contestation.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0285120