Generations, Political Participation and Social Change in Western Europe

273 Pages·2016·7.313 MB·English

by  Maria T. Grasso

Maria Grasso’s masterful comparative analysis provides a fresh look on the study
of political participation and, more broadly, on the functioning of democracy.
Her book fits squarely with a long-standing research tradition in sociology and
political science, namely the study of generations and political engagement. She
shows that both conventional and unconventional forms of participation have
declined, and will continue to fall in the future with new, less politicized genera-
tions replacing older, more civic ones.
Marco Giugni, Professor and Director of the Institute of Citizenship Studies,
University of Geneva, Switzerland
A truly wonderful and deeply original book which demonstrates, as never before,
the profound influence of cohort effects and socialisation on political participa-
tion and the continuing significance of domestic political factors. Theoretically
innovative, methodologically sophisticated and thoroughly convincing, Maria
Grasso puts down a very significant marker in a debate whose importance can
scarcely be exaggerated.
Colin Hay, Professor of Political Science, Sciences Po, Paris, France
In this important book, Maria Grasso carefully employs a rich body of data to
uncover the continued importance of political generation and national context:
while our formative experiences do not determine our future political behaviour,
they do have a long-lasting influence throughout our lives – with long term
implications for our politics.
Charles Pattie, Professor of Geography, University of Sheffield, UK
This is one of the best sustained analyses of political generations and democratic
participation to date. Grasso’s analysis is both theoretically nuanced and rigorously
empirical. Her careful methodology allows her to disentangle the effects of genera-
tion, age, and period in ten Western European democracies. Analyzing five political
generations, Grasso convincingly shows the lasting effects of formative experiences
and the ongoing centrality of the 1960s ‘protest generation’ to new social move-
ments. The book has important implications for democratic engagement: as younger
generations replace Baby Boomers, Western European democracies are likely to see
declining participation in social movements and in conventional politics.
Nancy Whittier, Professor of Sociology, Smith College, USA
s)
e
g
a
m
y I
ett
G
a
vi
h
c
at
M
s
ri
a
P
et/
el
M
s
e
g
or
e
G
y
b
o
ot
h
P
s (
n
o
ati
str
n
o
m
e
D
s:
ari
P
n
8 i
6
9
1
y
a
M
of
s
nt
e
v
E
Generations, Political Participation
and Social Change in Western Europe
This new comparative analysis shows that there are reasons to be concerned
about the future of democratic politics. Younger generations have become disen-
gaged from the political process. The evidence presented in this comprehensive
study shows that they are not just less likely than older generations to engage in
institutional political activism such as voting and party membership – they are
also less likely to engage in extra-i nstitutional protest activism.
Generations, Political Participation and Social Change in Western Europe
offers a rigorously researched empirical analysis of political participation trends
across generations in Western Europe. It examines the way in which the political
behaviour of younger generations leads to social change. Are younger genera-
tions completely disengaged from politics, or do they simply choose to parti-
cipate in a different way to previous generations?
The book is of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners of political
sociology, political participation and behaviour, European politics, comparative
politics and sociology.
Maria T. Grasso is a Lecturer in Politics and Quantitative Methods at the
Department of Politics, University of Sheffield, UK, and Deputy Editor for
Western Europe of Mobilization: An International Quarterly.
Routledge Research in Comparative Politics
54 Protecting Immigrant Rights in 61 Party Organization and
Mexico Electoral Volatility in Central
Understanding the state–civil and Eastern Europe
society nexus Enhancing voter loyalty
Laura Valeria González-Murphy Sergiu Gherghina
62 Politics of Religion and
55 The Politics of Public Sector
Nationalism
Performance
Federalism, Consociationalism and
Pockets of effectiveness in
Seccession
developing countries
Edited by Ferran Requejo and
Edited by Michael Roll
Klaus-Jürgen Nagel
56 The Organization of Political
63 Deficits and Debt in
Interest Groups
Industrialized Democracies
Designing advocacy
Edited by Gene Park and
Edited by Darren R. Halpin
Eisaku Ide
57 Electoral Systems and 64 Citizenship and Democracy in
Governance an Era of Crisis
Diversity and policy-making Edited by Thomas Poguntke,
Salomon Orellana Sigrid Roßteutscher,
Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck and
58 Government Accountability and Sonja Zmerli
Legislative Oversight
65 Drivers of Integration and
Riccardo Pelizzo and
Regionalism in Europe and Asia
Frederick Stapenhurst
Comparative perspectives
Edited by Louis Brennan and
59 Corruption and Legislatures
Philomena Murray
Riccardo Pelizzo and Frederick
Stapenhurst
66 Generations, Political
Participation and Social Change
60 Global Perspectives on the
in Western Europe
Politics of Multiculturalism in
Maria T. Grasso
the 21st Century
A case study analysis 67 The Politics of Think Tanks in
Edited by Fethi Mansouri and Europe
Boulou Ebanda de B’béri Jesper Dahl Kelstrup
Generations, Political
Participation and Social
Change in Western Europe
Maria T. Grasso
First published 2016
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2016 Maria T. Grasso
The right of Maria T. Grasso to be identified as author of this work has
been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN: 978-1-138-92499-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-68403-1 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
To Nick and Max
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
List of figures x
List of tables xii
Acknowledgements xiv
List of abbreviations xvi
1 Introduction 1
2 Studying political participation in Western Europe 13
3 Generations and social change 26
4 The evolution of political participation in Western Europe 49
5 Generations and formal political participation in Western
Europe 73
6 Generations and informal political participation in
Western Europe 112
7 Explaining generational differences in political
participation in Western Europe 163
8 The future of political participation in Western Europe 192
Appendix: Analysing political participation and social
change in Western Europe 210
Index 248