Youth and Politics in Times of Increasing Inequalities

Young people are very often the driving forces of political participation that aims to change societies and political systems. Rather than being depoliticized, young people in different national contexts are giving rise to alternative politics. Drawing on original survey data collected in 2018, this edited volume provides a detailed analysis of youth participation in nine European countries by focusing on socialization processes, different modes of participation and the mobilization of youth politics.

"This volume is an indispensable guide to understanding young European's experience and engagement of politics, the inequalities that shape young people's political engagement and are sometimes replicated through them, and young people's commitment to saving the environment and spreading democratic ideals. Based on compelling and extensive research across nine nations, this volume makes important advances in key debates on youth politics and provides critical empirical insights into which young people engage, influences on young people's politics, how young people engage, why some young people don't engage, and trends across nations. The volume succeeds in the herculean task of focusing on specific national contexts while also rendering a comprehensive picture of youth politics and inequality in Europe today."

Jennifer Earl , Professor of Sociology, University of Arizona, USA

"Forecasts by social scientists of young people's increasingly apathetic stance towards political participation appear to have been misplaced. This text, drawing data and analysis across and between nine European countries, captures the changing nature of political 'activism' by young people. It indicates how this is strongly nuanced by factors such as social class and gender identity. It also highlights important distinctions between young people's approaches towards more traditional (electoral) and more contemporary (non-institutional) forms of participation. Critically, it illuminates the many ways in which youth political participation has evolved and transformed in recent years. Wider social circumstances and experiences are identified as highly significant in preparing young people for, and influencing their levels of participation in, both protest-oriented action and electoral politics."

Howard Williamson , Professor of European Youth Policy, University of South Wales, UK

"This book is an incredible guide to understanding the role and sources of inequalities on young people's political involvement. Country specific chapters allow the authors to integrate a large number of the key and most pressing issues regarding young people's relationship to politics in a single volume. Topics range from social mobility and the influence of socioeconomic (parental) resources and class; young people's practice in the social sphere; the intersection of gender with other sources of inequalities; online participation and its relationship with social inequalities; the impact of harsh economic conditions; the mobilization potential of the environmental cause; to the role of political organizations. Integrating all these pressing dimensions in a common framework and accompanying it with extensive novel empirical evidence is a great achievement and the result is a must read piece for researchers and practitioners aiming to understand the challenges young people face in developing their relationship to politics."

Gema García-Albacete , Associate Professor of Political Science, University Carlos III Madrid, Spain

Considers forms of political participation beyond traditional modes such as voting and joining political parties Analyses data from a survey undertaken in nine European countries to examine inequalities in these areas Expands on existing knowledge about factors and trends that impact youth political participation

Auteur

Marco Giugni is Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations and Director of the Institute of Citizenship Studies (InCite), University of Geneva, Switzerland.

Maria Grasso is Professor at the School of Politics and International Relations, Queen Mary University of London, UK.

Contenu

1 Youth and Politics in Times of Increasing Inequalities, Marco Giugni and Maria Grasso.- Part I Socialization and Youth Political Participation.- 2 Class Against Democracy? Family Background, Education, and (Youth) Political Participation in Germany, Johannes Kiess.- 3 Youth's Socializing Spheres in Switzerland: Educational, Recreational, and Community Activities, Valentina Holecz, Eva Fernández G. G., and Marco Giugni.- 4 Disclosing Inequalities: Gender and Patterns of Political Participation Among the Italian Youth Anna Lavizzari and Martín Portos.- Part II Modes of Youth Participation.- 5 Between Indifference and Rejection of Politics: Mobilization of Youth in Post-contentious France, Henry P. Rammelt, Manlio Cinalli, and Didier Chabanet.- 6 Inequalities in Young Adults' Electoral and Non-institutionalised Modes of Political Participation in Greece: Similar or Diverse Patterns?, Stefania Kalogeraki.- 7 An Unequal Surge? UK Youth Participation in Political Organisations and the Role of Gender Inequalities, Katherine A. Smith.- 8 Knocking on the Public Sphere Door: Does Online Political Participation Make a Difference for Young People in Spain?, Anna Clua, Susana López-León, and Núria Ferran-Ferrer.- Part III The Mobilization of Youth Politics.- 9 The Concern About Environment and Climate Among Young Adults in Sweden, Katrin Uba.- 10 Inequalities Among Youth and Support for Right-Wing Populism in Poland, Marcin Sinczuch, Piotr Michalski, and Mariusz Piotrowski.