Inequalities in Non-Institutionalised forms of Political Participation: A Multi-Level Analysis of 25 Countries

Abstract

Various studies suggest that while institutionalised and electoral forms of political participation are in decline in Western societies, non‐institutionalised forms of participation (like demonstrating, political consumerism or signing petitions) are on the rise. However, this expansion of the political action repertoire of citizens also entails the question of equal participation opportunities. It can be argued that contemporary ideals of democratic participation assume an equal representation of citizens' interests. In this article we analyse the equality of participation patterns using comparative data from the 2004 ISSP survey. Our results suggest that non‐institutionalised forms of participation increase patterns of inequality due to education but strongly reduce or even reverse gender and age inequalities. As such, both institutionalised and non‐institutionalised forms of participation have specific (dis)advantages from the perspective of preserving equal access to democratic decision‐making procedures.

Political participation in European countries: The effect of authoritarian rule, corruption, lack of good governance and economic downturn

“…Institutionalized participation relates to contacting a politician or working in a political party or political organization. These forms of participation have in common that most often their format is being governed by institutional rules (Marien, Hooghe & Quintelier, 2010). Noninstitutionalized participation refers to signing petitions, protesting and boycotting products.…”

Differential Responsiveness in Europe: The Effects of Preference Difference and Electoral Participation

“…Marien et al 2010;Verba and Nie 1972;Verba et al 1995). Among the structural factors for unequal participation, income is often found to be a good predictor of whether or not someone participates politically, with others typically being education, gender, and age (Marien et al 2010;Verba et al 1995). These inequalities are thus particularly pronounced when turnout is low, and may translate into differential responsiveness.…”

“…Further, with many studies focusing on the determinants of political participation, it has become apparent that there are certain structural inequalities in who participates (e.g. Marien et al 2010;Verba and Nie 1972;Verba et al 1995). Among the structural factors for unequal participation, income is often found to be a good predictor of whether or not someone participates politically, with others typically being education, gender, and age (Marien et al 2010;Verba et al 1995).…”

Youth, Precarious Employment and Political Participation in Hungary

“…Younger people also clearly have a preference for non-institutionalized forms of participation. Based on data from the ISSP survey, Marien, Hooghe and Quintelier (2010) found that non-institutionalized forms of participation increase inequality in terms of education, but strongly reduce or even reverse gender and age inequalities. As such, both institutionalized and noninstitutionalized forms of participation have specific (dis)advantages from the perspective of preserving equal access to democratic decision-making procedures.…”