Reconstructing Democracy and Citizenship Education: Lessons from Central and Eastern Europe

235 Pages·2022·5.071 MB·English

by  Beata Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz, Kerry J. Kennedy

Reconstructing Democracy
and Citizenship Education
This book compares the current status of democracy in selected Eastern
European countries. The focus is on young people’s attitudes towards and
experiences of democracy, including active political engagement. In many of
these countries, democracy has been hard-won and may well need to be
defended again in the future. The contributors collectively reflect on young
adults exercising their civic rights and how they can influence the political
system at both formal and informal levels.
The chapters present different issues that arise in unique contexts but
overall reflect the changing status of democracy and its effects on young
people’s citizenship activity and education. The volume compares perspectives
of three groups of Eastern European countries with different traditions and
past histories of democracy and citizenship: Central European countries
(Poland, Czech, Hungary); Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia);
and post-soviet republics (Ukraine, Moldova). These countries differ in the
status given to democracy, citizenship action traditions and education. At the
same time, many countries have experienced recent turbulence related to
democracy and different kinds of actions by young people. Comparing them
leads to conclusions about omissions made in current citizenship education
provision and what needs to be done for a better understanding of the needs
of citizenship education in these difficult times.
This volume will be of interest to students and scholars in citizenship and
civic education, sociology, political science and Eastern European Studies.
Beata Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz is a psychologist, Associate Professor at
University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Head of Department of
Clinical, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Social Science Faculty.
Kerry J. Kennedy is Professor Emeritus and Advisor (Academic
Development) at The Education University of Hong Kong. He is also a
Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg.
Asia-Europe Education Dialogue
Series Editor: Kerry J. Kennedy
This Routledge book series provides a forum for dialogue on key educational
issues and challenges faced by Asian and European societies. Its distinctive-
ness is its broad focus on Education in Asia and Europe. In essence, it will
address major issues in education reform, student learning, leadership, cur-
riculum, higher education, multicultural education, and other major educa-
tional issues affecting Asia and Europe.
Published books:
Schools and Informal Learning in a Knowledge-Based World
Edited by Javier Calvo de Mora and Kerry J. Kennedy
Multiculturalism in Turbulent Times
Edited by Christine Halse and Kerry J. Kennedy
Assessment as Learning
Maximising Opportunities for Student Learning and Achievement
Edited by Yan Zi and Lan Yang
Quality in Teacher Education and Professional Development
Chinese and German Perspectives
Edited by John-Chi Kin Lee and Timo Ehmke
Reconstructing Democracy and Citizenship Education
Lessons from Central and Eastern Europe
Edited by Beata Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz and Kerry J. Kennedy
Managing School Intellectual Capital for Strategic Development
Lessons from Asia and Europe
Edited by Eric C. K. Cheng
URL: https://www.routledge.com/Asia-Europe-Education-Dialogue/book-
series/AEED
Reconstructing Democracy
and Citizenship Education
Lessons from Central and Eastern Europe
Edited by Beata Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz
and Kerry J. Kennedy
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2023 selection and editorial matter, Beata Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz
and Kerry J. Kennedy; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of Beata Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz and Kerry J. Kennedy to be
identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors
for their individual chapters, has been asserted 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
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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
Names: Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz, Beata, editor. | Kennedy, Kerry J., editor.
Title: Reconstructing democracy and citizenship education : lessons from
Central and Eastern Europe / edited by Beata Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz and
Kerry J. Kennedy.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2022. | Series:
Asia-Europe education dialogue | Includes bibliographical references and
index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022002615 (print) | LCCN 2022002616 (ebook) | ISBN
9780367691356 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367691363 (paperback) | ISBN
9781003140528 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Democracy--Europe, Central. | Democracy--Europe, Eastern. |
Citizenship--Europe, Central. | Citizenship--Europe, Eastern. | Young
adults--Political activity--Europe, Central. | Young adults--Political
activity--Europe, Eastern. | Democracy and education--Europe, Central. |
Democracy and education--Europe, Eastern. | Europe, Central--Politics
and government--1989- | Europe, Eastern--Politics and government--1989-
Classification: LCC JN96.A91 R43 2022 (print) | LCC JN96.A91 (ebook) |
DDC 320.947--dc23/eng/20220416
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022002615
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022002616
ISBN: 978-0-367-69135-6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-69136-3 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-14052-8 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003140528
Typeset in Galliard
by SPi Technologies India Pvt Ltd (Straive)
Beata would like to dedicate this book to her husband, Slawek,
with thanks for constant inspiration for research on citizenship
and democracy.
Kerry would like to dedicate this book to his children, Simon,
Emma and David who, as adults, are making their marks in a
challenging world that they seek to shape not just for themselves,
but for their young families to whom the future belongs.

Contents
List of Figures ix
List of Tables xi
Contributors xiii
Acknowledgements xvii
Series Editor’s Note xviii
1 De-Europeanization, populism and illiberalism: Young
people and democracy in Central and Eastern Europe 1
BEATA KRZYWOSZ-RYNKIEWICZ AND KERRY J. KENNEDY
SECTION 1
Democracy status and citizenship engagement –
Research methods and results 13
2 Measuring the status of democracy and citizenship
activity: Survey development and trialing 15
BEATA KRZYWOSZ-RYNKIEWICZ
3 Young people’s citizenship activity and perceptions
of democracy status in Central-Eastern Europe: Sample
selection and data analysis 30
BEATA KRZYWOSZ-RYNKIEWICZ AND KATINKA DANCS
SECTION 2
Young people’s citizenship engagement in Central and
Eastern Europe 53
4 Do young people still need democracy in Poland? –
Revisiting the question 30 years later 55
BEATA KRZYWOSZ-RYNKIEWICZ
viii Contents
5 After 30 transitional years of democracy – How do young
people participate in society and evaluate democracy
in Hungary? 74
KATINKA DANCS AND LÁSZLÓ KINYÓ
6 Citizenship activity and democracy perception among
young Czechs whose parents ‘jingled keys’ during the
‘Velvet Revolution’ 91
NIKOLA DOUBKOVÁ
7 Descriptive analysis of Estonian young adults’ evaluation
of democracy and citizenship engagement 108
KRISTI KÕIV
8 Young people in Latvia – Forgotten humanism
in  citizenship development 124
SANDRA RONE AND MARA VIDNERE
9 The workdays and weekends of democracy
in Lithuanian young adults’ calendar 143
VAIVA ZUZEVIČIŪTĖ AND BEATA KRZYWOSZ-RYNKIEWICZ
10 Citizenship activity of young Ukrainians – Democracy
and human rights challenges 160
IRINA BONDAREVSKAYA, KATERYNA BONDAR
AND BEATA KRZYWOSZ-RYNKIEWICZ
SECTION 3
Framing the future 179
11 Young people’s citizenship activity and education in the
face of democracy’s retreat: What lessons have been
learned from Central and Eastern Europe? 181
BEATA KRZYWOSZ-RYNKIEWICZ
12 Democracy’s future in Central and Eastern Europe –
Building coalitions, enhancing agency 194
KERRY J. KENNEDY
Appendix A: Survey Instruments 206
Subject Index 212
Name Index 216
Figures
3.1 Perceptions of the status of democracy in three groups
of countries: Visegrad states (Former Soviet satellites –
EU members), Baltic states (Former Soviet republics –
EU members) and Black Sea states (Former Soviet
republics – non-EU members) 38
3.2 Dimensions of citizenship activity across eight Central-Eastern
European countries 41
3.3 Citizenship activity in the three groups of countries:
Visegrad states (Former Soviet satellites – EU members),
Baltic states (Former Soviet republics – EU members)
and Black Sea states (Former Soviet republics –
non-EU members) 41
3.4 Five profiles of citizenship activity identified based
on the results of k-means cluster analysis 43
3.5 Size of clusters in the three group of countries: former
Soviet satellites – EU members, former Soviet republics –
EU members and former Soviet republics –
non-EU members 45
3.6 Attitudes toward citizenship and democracy across countries 47
4.1 Dimensions of Polish young people’s citizenship engagement 64
4.2 Percentage of young Poles’ civic engagement profiles
relative to the surveyed population in Central-Eastern
European countries 66
4.3 Percentage distribution of gender in the civic engagement
profiles of young Poles 67
5.1 The ratio of citizenship profiles in the total sample and
in the Hungarian sub-sample 83
6.1 Means of perception of democracy dimensions for five
citizenship activity clusters 100
7.1 Youngsters’ perceptions of changes to the status of democracy
status perception across four indicators among Estonian
and the surveyed population in the CEE countries 115
7.2 Young Estonians’ citizenship engagement relative to
that for the CEE sample 115