Democracy in Transition

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

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2. Introduction

   • Kyriakos N. Demetriou

   Pages 1-17

3. Theorizing Political Participation

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 19-19

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   2. Contemporary Political Participation Research: A Critical Assessment

      • Iasonas Lamprianou

      Pages 21-42

   3. The Post-Welfare State and Changing Forms of Political Participation

      • Maria Markantonatou

      Pages 43-60

   4. The Rise of the “Pleasure Citizen”: How Leisure Can be a Site for Alternative Forms of Political Participation

      • Sarah Riley, Christine Griffin, Yvette Morey

      Pages 61-75

   5. “Parties with No Members?”: How to Ensure Political Participation in East Central Europe

      • Ladislav Cabada

      Pages 77-93

   6. Gender and Political Participation in Western and Eastern Europe

      • Hilde Coffé

      Pages 95-107

   7. Trust and Openness: Prerequisites for Democratic Engagement?

      • Sofie Marien, Henrik Serup Christensen

      Pages 109-134

   8. “From Athens to Athens”. Europe, Crisis, and Democracy: Suggestions for a Debate

      • Luca Asmonti

      Pages 135-157

4. The Internet and Political Participation

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 159-159

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5. the Internet and Political Participation

   1. EU Democracy and E-Democracy: Can the Two Be Reconciled?

      • Fernando Mendez

      Pages 161-178

   2. The Internet as a New Channel for Political Participation?

      • Lorenzo Mosca

      Pages 179-198

6. Case Studies

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 199-199

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   2. Transnational Citizenship as Status, Identity and Participation: Comparative Assessment

      • Mari-Liis Jakobson, Leif Kalev

      Pages 201-223

   3. Political Participation and Non-democratic Political Culture in Western Europe, East-Central Europe and Post-Yugoslav Countries

      • Andrej Kirbiš

      Pages 225-251

   4. Political Engagement Among the Youth: Effects of Political Socialization Across Europe

      • Steve Schwarzer, Dylan Connor

      Pages 253-272

   5. The Impact of Socio-economic Status on Political Participation

      • Ellen Quintelier, Marc Hooghe

      Pages 273-289

,The papers in this collection, written by a cross-regional group of experts, provide insights into the causes of declining levels of citizen participation and other distinct forms of civic activism in Europe and explore a range of factors contributing to apathy and eventually disengagement from vital political processes and institutions. At the same time, this volume examines informal or unconventional types of civic engagement and political participation corresponding to the rapid advances in culture, technology and social networking. The volume is divided into three interrelated parts: Part I consists of critical essays in the form of theoretical approaches to analysing weakening political participation and citizen estrangement; Part II is dedicated to an exploration of the role and deployment of technologically advanced media, such as the internet, as determinants of changing patterns of political participationist behaviour. Finally, Part III presents findings of empirical research on the issue of political participation. Combining theoretical and empirical perspectives, the book contributes towards a better understanding of the disquieting trend of voter apathy and disenchantment with politics in the context of the ongoing process of European integration, and offers a variety of analytical tools for decoding both the emergence of alternative conceptualizations of citizenship and other forms of meaningful civic and political engagement.

• Democracy
• E-Democracy
• European Integration
• European Union
• Political Participation

• , Department of Social and Political Scien, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus

  Kyriakos N. Demetriou

Kyriakos Demetriou is Professor of the History of Political Thought in the Department of Social and Political Science, University of Cyprus. His research interests range across nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century political thought and intellectual history, with a special focus on the history of modern classical reception, British Utilitarianism, and liberal democratic theories from the early 1800s to the present. He is the Executive Editor of Polis, the Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought; Brill’s Series Editor, “Companions to Classical Reception” and Member of the International Advisory Board of Innovation, The European Journal of Social Science Research. His main publications include George Grote on Plato and Athenian Democracy: A Study in Classical Reception (1999), Classics in the Nineteenth Century, ed. with Introductions, 4 volumes (2004), The Platonic Legend: A Study in Modern Platonic Interpretation (2008), Studies on the Reception of Plato and Greek Political Thought in Victorian Britain (2011), John Stuart Mill: A British Socrates, ed. Demetriou & A. Loizides (forthcoming 2012). He has also published several articles in international refereed journals.

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