The emergence of the Internet fueled euphoric—partially utopian—visions that can be summarized as democratic promises. In most cases, the normative and empirical discussion so far has considered e‑democracy tools and their potential, regardless of the scale of interaction—be it local,...

Objective: The aim of the present manuscript is to address Tocqueville's hypothesis that voluntary associations and volunteering are breeding grounds for democratic virtues and skills and thus enhance political participation. Methods: Data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) data set...

While extensive research focused on citizens’ disaffection and tools to cure the ‘democratic malaise’, very few studies paid attention to the connection between citizens’ preferences for democratic alternatives and their desire to get involved in new participatory procedures. To fill...

Young people in the UK are increasingly disinterested in ‘conventional politics'. This has been illustrated by the alarmingly low turnout of 18-24 year olds in the 2001 and 2005 general elections as well as in the shrinking and ageing memberships of political parties. Yet, young people remain...