📚 Why we get involved: Political Participation in Transition

Political participation is essential for democratic systems. It serves to articulate political will, but also to legitimise the political system. In this seminar, we will approach the topic of political participation from different angles. The seminar is divided into three thematic blocks: First, we will deal with the question: What is political participation and why is it important for democratic systems? Then we will look at the determinants of political participation. Here we will refer to socio-economic explanations, the Civic Voluntarism Model, Rational Choice, and political institutions as determinants of political participation. Finally, we will look at political participation in transition. What new forms of political participation are emerging? How does digital media influence political participation? The seminar will focus on classical literature, but will also take up current developments in participation research.