Joakim Ekman

Political participation and civic engagement: Towards a new typology

Reviewing the literature on political participation and civic engagement, the article offers a critical examination of different conceptual frameworks. Drawing on previous definitions and operationalisations, a new typology for political participation and civic engagement is developed, highlighting the multidimensionality of both concepts. In particular, it makes a clear distinction between manifest “political participation” (including formal political behaviour as well as protest or extra-parliamentary political action) and less direct or “latent” forms of participation, conceptualized here as “civic engagement” and “social involvement”. The article argues that the notion of “latent” forms of participation is crucial to understand new forms of political behaviour and the prospects for political participation in different countries. Due to these innovations it contributes to a much-needed theoretical development within the literature on political participation and citizen engagement.

Satisfaction with democracy: A note on a frequently used indicator in comparative politics

This article offers a critical investigation of one indicator of support for democracy frequently used by comparativists. Departing from a theoretical multidimensional model of political support, a ...

The handbook of political change in Eastern Europe

Contents: Preface 1. The Diversity of Political Regimes Sten Berglund and Joakim Ekman 2. The Resilience of History Sten Berglund, Joakim Ekman, Terje Knutsen and Frank Aarebrot 3. Full and Partial Cleavages Kevin Deegan-Krause 4. Estonia Mikko Lagerspetz and Henri Vogt 5. Latvia Daunis Auers 6. Lithuania Kjetil Duvold and Mindaugas Jurkynas 7. Poland Ben Stanley 8. The Czech Republic Zdenka Mansfeldova 9. Slovakia Kevin Deegan-Krause 10. Hungary Gabor Toka and Sebastian Popa 11. Slovenia Drago Zajc 12. Romania William Crowther and Oana-Valentina Suciu 13. Bulgaria Georgi Karasimeonov and Milen Lyubenov 14. Croatia Andrija Henjak, Nenad Zakosek and Goran Cular 15. Bosnia Timothy Donais 16. Serbia Bojan Todosijevic 17. Montenegro Jan O. Haukaas 18. Macedonia Robert Hislope 19. Albania Arba Murati 20. Ukraine Oleh Protsyk 21. Moldova William Crowther 22. Georgia Christoffer Berglund 23. Concluding Remarks Sten Berglund, Kevin Deegan-Krause and Joakim Ekman Index

Standby Citizens : Diverse Faces of Political Passivity

The current debate on political participation is bound to a discussion about whether citizens are active or passive. This dichotomous notion is nurtured by an extensive normative debate concerning ...

Communist nostalgia and the consolidation of democracy in Central and Eastern Europe

In recent years, public opinion surveys have testified to increasing levels of ‘communist nostalgia’ in Central and Eastern Europe: that is, growing numbers of citizens who feel that ‘a return to communist rule’ would in fact be a preferable option. These apparently non-democratic sentiments have been subject to two alternative explanations – one related to political socialization and the other to system output. In fact, communist nostalgia is a multidimensional phenomenon, encompassing both generational differences and general discontent. However, it is clear that nostalgia is more closely related to dissatisfaction with the present systems ability to produce output than to genuine non-democratic values.

The Handbook of Political Change in Eastern Europe, Third Edition

‘This Handbook offers a historically informed, systematic account of the political development in Central and Eastern Europe. Two chapters lay out a framework for comparison. 26 specialists provide analyses for 19 countries. In an appendix, each of these country chapters documents election results, government composition, the electoral system, and the constitutional framework. The concluding chapter synthesizes the major results. The Handbook is the most comprehensive source for an up-to-date analysis of all Central and Eastern European countries within the sphere of influence of the European Union. It is a “must have” for students and scholars interested in how to evaluate the state of democracy in this region of the globe.’ – Hans-Dieter Klingemann, New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE and Social Science Research Center Berlin, Germany

Cleavages and Political Transformations

What is a political cleavage, and what cleavage structures are relevant to European societies today? Drawing on empirical evidence from the political transformations in Central and Eastern Europe, the chapter seeks to enhance the academic discussion on cleavages in contemporary Europe. The chapter breaks down into three parts: an introductory section on the cleavage concept and its connotations; a section on manifest, latent and potential cleavages in Central and Eastern Europe; and finally, a section with an all-European perspective. The chapter highlights the importance of political cleavages for the consolidation of democracy in post-communist Europe, but the empirical evidence from Central and Eastern Europe is also used to discuss political cleavages within the EU. The analysis indicates that the left−right cleavage and, in particular, the European integration−national sovereignty cleavage have potential to emerge as all-European cleavages. At the same time, the actual contents of such divisions − in terms of party competition − remain to be seen.

Challenges and realities of political participation and civic engagement in central and eastern Europe

Challenges and realities of political participation and civic engagement in central and eastern Europe

Citizens’ Perceptions of the EU as a Global Actor

Public opinion generally defines the acceptable boundaries of politics, and stakes out the space within which political elites can resolve controversies.2 In the context of this chapter, the crucial issue is in what ways public opinion constrains or shapes the possibilities to develop the global agency of the EU. The questions posed are thus: What are people’s general attitudes towards the EU as a global political actor? Do they believe that it is the responsibility of the EU to get involved in world affairs? And if they do, of what kind should this involvement be? Ultimately, do today’s Europeans somehow envisage a normatively conscious — and therefore responsible — global agency for the Union?

What should a Russian father be like? Exploring fatherhood norms and identifying norm patterns among inhabitants of Saint Petersburg

Based on data from a survey conducted in Saint Petersburg in 2013, this article sheds new light on attitudes towards fatherhood in contemporary Russia. We explore what norms are held concerning fatherhood, how these attitudes are related to age, sex, education and income as well as to ideal–typical models established in previous research on fatherhood from Western Europe and the US. Thus, the article also discusses what explanatory value established theoretical models have for the Russian context. Norms of the role of the father in the family are related to general norms of masculinity and, hence, are an important part of the study of politics and the political climate in a society. The results show that there are several fatherhood ideals present in contemporary Northwestern Russia: a traditional breadwinner model, an active fatherhood model as well as what we refer to as a marginalized fatherhood model. The latter has not been substantially identified in previous research, and may tentatively be identified as a legacy of the Soviet era.