Political Participation
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Political Participation Luigi Ceccarini Department of Economics Society Politics, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy Keywords
Political participation · Individualized collectivist action · Creative participation · Participation 2.0 · Political advocacy groups · Internet activism · Lifestyle politics
Definition Political participation is a complex, multifaceted, and time-sensitive concept. It is a notion subject to being reconceived over time, and whatever classification is proposed it will necessarily be partial and temporary. Participation lies at the heart of the polity and exists alongside such fundamental political processes as democratization. Etymologically, it refers to taking part in, being part of, working together for something. Therefore, participating implies a set of actions towards politics. It is the activity of influencing the holders of power and the outcomes of the political process: choices, decisions, and policies which might affect the material interests of specific stakeholders, and the values and cultural sensitivities of the social
and political actors that make up a pluralistic society. In recent decades, citizens have gradually become detached from the traditional types of participation, in particular those termed conventional and made possible mainly by political parties and organized groups. They are considered too bureaucratic, demanding and time-consuming, and not greatly representative of the individuality of citizens. Participatory logic, horizontality, and flexibility are preferred to verticality and rigidity. The rise of what have been termed creative and individualized forms of political responsibilitytaking in subpolitical arenas, along with the spread of Internet-mediated organizations, adds further elements of complexity to this notion. Moreover, the spread among citizens of e-activism and of a new generation of political advocacy groups makes it necessary to rethink this open concept. For this reason, new dimensions and types of organization have to be considered, and the repertoire of collective action needs continually to be updated and revisited.
Introduction Political participation is a complex, multifaceted, and time-sensitive concept. Due to its own intrinsic multidimensionality and dynamicity, any definition of the concept needs to consider various and related conceptions. Thus, it is a notion that is
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 P. Harris et al. (eds.), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Interest Groups, Lobbying and Public Affairs, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13895-0_141-1
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subject to constant redefinition, and whatever classification is proposed it will be always temporary and unavoidably partial. Participation lies at the heart of the polity alongside other fundamental political processes such as inclusion, representation, and above all democratization, among others. Etymologically, participation refers to taking part in, being part of, working together for something. Therefore, it suggests a set of act
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