Between Contestation and Consensus: How Context Matters for Non-electoral Political Participation in Western Democracies

Mgr. Kateřina Vráblíková, Ph.D.

Doctoral thesis

Abstract:

Práce se zaměřuje na zkoumání kontextuálních determinant nevolební politické participace. Hlavní výzkoumou otázkou je: Jak ovlivňuje kontext politického systému individuální nevolební participaci? Práci formuluje na základě literatury týkající se studia politických institucí, politické kultury, sociálních hnutí a demokratické teorie dvě hlavní teoretické perspektivy, které mají podle literatury zvyšovat nevolební participaci: míru inklusivního konsensu a míru inklusivní soutěže. Inklusivní soutěž zahrnuje toerie politických příležitostí a sebe-expresivní kultury, inklusivní konsensus je reprezentván consociačními institucemi a sociálním kapitálem. Studie používá víceúrovňové modelování na ISSP 2004 data z 29 zemí. Výsledky ukazují, že národní kontext vykazující vyšší míru inklusivní soutěže zvyšuje nevolební participaci.

Abstract:

Scholars have long argued that political participation is determined by the context of a political system. Within the voter turnout literature the impact of various contextual characteristics has been demonstrated in numerous studies. Curiously, a similar context driven research agenda exploring the correlates of non-electoral participation (NEP) has not received the same attention. The main research question of this dissertation is: How does the context of the political system influence individual non-electoral participation in Western democracies? Drawing on insights from the research dealing with comparative institutions, social movements, political culture, and democratic theory the dissertation formulates two general perspectives on how a political system should affect political participation in the domain of non-electoral politics. These two rival perspectives are tested for the case of formal political institutions and political culture. According to one approach, it is the level of inclusive competition that affects NEP, such as more open political opportunities and more self-expressive culture; the second perspective including consociational and social capital theory predicts that higher levels of inclusive consensus will increase participation in non-electoral politics. The analyses presented in this dissertation use a multilevel modeling to International Social Survey Programme data (ISSP, 2004 module citizenship) from 29 Western democracies, supplemented with appropriate country level indicators. The findings reveal that higher level of inclusive competition within a political system increases NEP while the level of inclusive consensus does not display this positive effect. Specifically, higher number of competitive veto players and more self-expressive culture facilitate individual participation in non-electoral politics.

Keywords

political participation, political institutions, political culture, mobilization, political opportunities, social capital, self-expressive culture

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 25. 4. 2012

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 22. 6. 2012
• Supervisor: prof. Steven Saxonberg, Ph.D.
• Reader: prof. Russel J. Dalton, prof. Jan W. van Deth

Masaryk University

Faculty of Social Studies

Doctoral programme / field:
Political Science (4-years) / Political Science