A Crisis of Participation

Abstract

Concerns over declining levels of political participation in the UK, particularly in traditional activities such as voting and political party membership, have led many to argue that political apathy is increasing and that democracy is at risk (Putnam 2000, Macedo et al. 2005). Reading this literature one could assert that there is a general crisis of political participation. This chapter questions this interpretation and argues that the mainstream participation literature only provides a partial account of trends in political participation...