Making Democracy Work by Early Formal Engagement? Youth Parliaments in Europe

Comparative trends in political participation draw a pessimistic picture: younger generations in the mature democracies of the West tend to avoid formal politics, opting instead for radical forms of political engagement or opting out altogether from the political process. This trend poses an obvious threat to the core democratic idea of popular control of government. Various remedies have been proposed for the promotion of civic engagement in the UK and in other European democracies. Youth parliaments are one such mechanism of combating formal political alienation through political education, training and socialization. Political elites appear to pay particular attention to the establishment and promotion of youth parliaments. Significant amounts of money are spent on their administration, and extensive clerical support is provided for widespread network development and functioning across a myriad of activities. However, unlike other proposed remedies for the disengagement ‘malaise', we know very little about this mechanism. The paper presents a research agenda and some preliminary findings from an initial exploration of youth parliaments in Europe. The analysis maps the arrangements that are in existence and considers implications for youth civic engagement and for future research