Activating the Citizen

The decline of citizen involvement affects two key elements of democratic government: elections and political parties. Activating the Citizen examines the reasons underlying citizen withdrawal and explores and assesses innovative approaches on both sides of the Atlantic to try to counter these phenomena.

Autorentext
JOAN DEBARDELEBEN is Chancellor's Professor in the Institute of European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at Carleton University, Canada. She is also Director of the Centre for European Studies. She is the editor and contributing author to numerous volumes. Her recent publications deal with EURussian relations and with Russian politics, particularly relating to democratization, elections, public opinion, and federalism.

JON H. PAMMETT is Professor of Political Science at Carleton University, Canada. He is also co-Director of the Carleton University Survey Centre and Canadian delegate to the International Social Survey Programme. He is co-author of Political Choice in Canada and Absent Mandate , books about voting behaviour in Canadian elections. He has published journal articles on public opinion and voting behaviour in Canada and Russia and has also worked in the field of political education.

Inhalt
Introduction; J.H.Pammett & J.DeBardeleben PART I: DEFINING THE PARTICIPATION GAP Citizen Participation and Democratic Deficits: Considerations from the Perspective of Democratic Theory; M.Warren The Decline of Political Participation: An Empirical Overview of Voter Turnout and Party Membership; A.Siaroff PART II: VOTER TURNOUT: UNDERSTANDING THE DECLINE Turnout in Electoral Democracies Revisited; A.Blais & A.Dobrzynska Where Turnout Holds Firm: The Scandinavian Exceptions; J.Elklit & L.Togeby New Members, Old Issues: The Problem of Voter Turnout in European Parliament Elections; J.DeBardeleben & L.LeDuc PART III: PARTIES AS VEHICLES OF PARTICIPATION Party Membership and Activism in Comparative Perspective; P.Whiteley Models of Party Organization and Europarties; L.Bardi & E.Calossi Grassroots Participation and Party Leadership Selection: Examining the British and Canadian Cases; W.Cross & J.Crysler PART IV: BEYOND ELECTIONS AND PARTIES: INNOVATIONS IN ACTIVATING CITIZENS Participation and the Good Citizen; J.H.Pammett Institutionalizing Participation through Citizens' Assemblies; J.Rose Citizen Involvement in Constitutional Politics: European and Canadian Experiences; L.LeDuc Youth Engagement, Civic Engagement, and New Vehicles of Political Participation; E.Saunders