| The last quarter of the twentieth century witnessed the worldwide expansion of democratic government to hitherto unprecedented levels, but the 'quality' of democracy still differs in each case. Even if a regime contains all the prerequisite institutions for 'democratic' governance, a lack of trust in a political regime or in interest in politics can in the long-term lead to questions about its legitimacy - hence the concern in comparative politics about participation and its nature. It is in the context of this debate that the current project seeks to examine the phenomenon in post-communist Russia and Eastern Germany comparatively. Arguably the 'lynchpins' of the former Eastern Bloc, these two countries' political trajectories since 1990 form polarised 'ideal types' which surround, politically and geographically, the rest of the region. Comparison with Western Germany allows the exclusively post-communist phenomena to be disaggregated. The focus of the research is on the following key questions: - What evidence is there of Politikverdrossenheit in Germany and Russia? - What accounts for it? - What are the perspectives for engagement, and can the situation be altered through states, local and outside efforts? - How do Germany and Russia fit into the wider picture of political participation? Reflecting the federal natures of both countries, the project combines macro-level assessment with regional-level analysis, focusing in particular on Saxony and Brandenburg in Eastern Germany; Northrhine-Westphalia in Western Germany; and Ul'yanovsk and Tatarstan in Russia. It employs two perspectives: the attitudes and behaviour of ordinary citizens, and the extent to which civic education can change levels of participation. A full list of outputs from the project will be added in due course - an overview can be viewed here. Project funded by the British Academy - Small Research Grant SG-40918 (2005-07) |
| Dr Derek S. Hutcheson, Lecturer in Comparative Politics, UCD School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin, Belfield Dublin 4 REPUBLIC OF IRELAND Tel: +353 (0)1 716 8615 e-mail: [email protected] |
| Political Participation, Disengagement and Re-Engagement in Russia and Germany (2005-07) |
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| Last updated: 16 July 2005 |
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