Demography and democracy: the impact of youth cohort size on democratic stability in the world

Corruption and political stability: Does the youth bulge matter?

“…Although some countries can take advantage of this opportunity, a large, young, working-age population can also be a challenge if the state's capability to address the situation is limited (Nordås and Davenport, 2013). If a large youth cohort coincides with a stagnant economy and vast unemployment, then the chances for political instability also rise because of the low opportunity costs of engaging in political violence incurred by young men (Barakat and Urdal, 2009;Collier and Hoeffler, 2004;Weber, 2013;Bricker and Foley, 2013;and Yousef, 2003).…”

Evaluating Youth Policy Reform in Kyrgyzstan Using Social Network Analysis

“…Focusing on a single case as a complex adaptive system allows a researcher to use various techniques for evaluating complex causal mechanisms that cannot be reduced to a number of variables without losing important pieces of the information about how systems function (Miller and Page 2007). For instance, the disproportionate number of young people in a society does not necessarily cause political violence; however, interaction of such a 'youth bulge' with other problems such as dwindling job opportunities in cities while many young people are moving from villages to cities and/or degradations in schools and manipulative techniques of ethnic entrepreneurs or organized crime leaders can bring about political violence and instability (Goldstone 2002, Urdal 2006, Weber 2013. Complex adaptive systems approach enables the researcher to combine social network analysis with institutional analysis, informed by social constructivist ideas of policy design.…”

“…In the absence of effective youth policy, young people can become a destabilizing force forming a destructive social capital in societies where there are no opportunities for educational, cultural, sportive or social activities, prospects for a successful employment, and incentives to contribute to the development of the society. Young people in many countries in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe have actively participated in political protests and violence (Goldstone 2002, Urdal 2006, Beber and Blattman 2013, Beissinger 2013, Weber 2013.…”

Conflict: Education and Youth

“…Noncausal empirical research demonstrates that countries with youth bulges and poor economic performance are more susceptible to domestic armed conflict (Urdal, 2006) and democratic instability (Weber, 2013). There are competing theories.…”

“…There are competing theories. The second is a sociobiological approach, where young men (15-29 years), given their developmental stage, are considered to have higher propensities for extremist attitudes and intergroup hate and violence (Weber, 2013). Two dominant theoretical perspectives have attempted to explain this hypothesis.…”