Marco Giugni

University of Geneva | UNIGE · Institute of Citizenship Studies

We examine the role of ‘gendered opportunities’ for political participation by analysing original survey data covering nine European countries alongside relevant macro-level factors. We hypothesize that gender interacts differently with certain features of the broader context – here, government spending on public services – across various modes of...

This article investigates the relationship between public funding and the political activities of youth organisations in Europe. By analysing original data from a random sample of about 4500 youth organisations in nine countries generated through a content analysis of organisations’ websites, we examine the extent to which they engage in political...

The Oxford Handbook of Swiss Politics provides a comprehensive analysis of the many different facets of the Swiss political system and of the major developments in modern Swiss politics. Its breadth offers analyses relevant not only to political science but also to international relations, European studies, history, sociology, law, and economics. T...

Social and political movements have a wide range of effects. The biographical consequences of social movements are one of them. They can be defined as effects on the life course of individuals who have participated in movement activities, effects that are at least in part due to involvement in those activities. Other types of effects include politi...

This chapter introduces The Oxford Handbook of Political Participation. One of the aims of this Handbook is to bring together two research traditions from political science and sociology, bridging research in political sociology and social movement studies, thus further developing the links between the disciplines that have only recently begun to e...

This chapter examines protest participation as a distinct mode of political participation. The chapter addresses four key questions: What is protest participation? How can it be studied? Who engages in it? How can it be explained? Furthermore, we discuss the role of context for protest participation, including how patterns of protest may differ bet...

The Oxford Handbook of Political Participation provides the first comprehensive, up-to-date treatment of political participation in all of its varied expressions. It covers a wide range of topics relating to the study of political participation from different disciplinary and methodological angles, such as the modes of participation, the role of th...

Scholarship has left the study of the consequences of social movements in the background for a long time, focusing instead on movement emergence, characteristics, and dynamics. Since the mid-1970s, however, scholars have paid an increasing interest in how social movements and protest activities may produce change at various levels. The existing lit...

Particularly in the current context of rapid political change it is key to understand the political participation of young people and what underpins their political engagement patterns as well the as the inequalities that may lay beneath them. While there is a rich literature on youth participation, to date we have lacked the data to carry out deta...

The declining political engagement of youth is a concern in many European democracies. However, young people are also spearheading protest movements cross-nationally. While there has been research on political inequalities between generations or inter-generational differences, research looking at differences within youth itself, or inequalities bet...

This study builds on the well-known civic voluntarism model of political participation. By doing this, we contribute to a political sociology of participation by refining the role of socialization in political engagement. We suggest that the action repertoires of young people engaging in politics can be narrower or broader owing to their previous e...

Swiss citizens have a wide action repertoire to engage politically. The complexity of the Swiss political system requires from citizens important resources, knowledge and skills, the lack of which has been shown to hamper young people’s political engagement. Current debates about youth’s political participation focus on the diversified and unconven...

The book is structured along country chapters, with each chapter addressing a specific research question linked to those issues that are most important in that country and providing detailed and rich contextual evidence on national situations. The chapters are grouped in three parts. Each part addresses one of three key aspects relating to youth an...

“This volume is an indispensable guide to understanding young Europeans’ experience and engagement of politics. Based on compelling and extensive research across nine nations, this volume makes important advances in key debates on youth politics, provides critical empirical insights and succeeds in the herculean task of focusing on specific nationa...

Young People and Long-Term Unemployment examines the consequences of long-term unemployment for the personal, social, and political lives of young adults aged 18–34 across four European cities: Cologne (Germany), Geneva (Switzerland), Lyon (France), and Turin (Italy). Adopting a multidimensional theoretical framework aiming to bring together insig...

In September 2019, the third Global Climate Strike organized by the Fridays For Future (FFF) protest campaign mobilized 6000 protest events in 185 countries and brought 7.6 million participants out onto the streets. This report analyses survey data about participants from 19 cities around the world and compares it to data from an international surv...

In this article, we employ data from comparative claims analysis of five major newspapers in nine European countries between 2010 and 2016 to examine discourse around youth. We look at the ways in which collective actors frame youth in the public domain and how this may provide discursive opportunities understood in terms of the extent to which pub...

Aiming to contribute to research on youth representation in the mainstream media, this special issue provides eight articles offering fresh empirical comparative analyses of the ways in which young people as well as issues concerning them are dealt with in the public domain. Applying political claims analysis on original data from the EURYKA projec...

This article investigates the nature of the relationship between associational involvement and migrant political participation. We explore the extent to which empirical evidence supports the mechanisms proposed by four popular theories in the political participation literature: social capital, group consciousness, civic voluntarism, and mobilizatio...

This article examines the macro–micro dynamics linking party membership with protest participation. We theorise that institutional and extra-institutional engagement are mutually reinforcing and that party membership has a positive effect on party activism. We examine key ideational and structural factors identified in the literature to analyse the...

Starting from a definition of altruism as situations in which a given actor sustains harm while another actor gains benefits, we compare the behaviors of respondents in relation to the members of three main groups of beneficiaries—refugees and asylum seekers, unemployed people, and people with disabilities—through the analysis of original survey da...

Economic outcomes have long been neglected by students of social movements. However, recently a number of studies have emerged addressing this topic. This chapter reviews works on economic outcomes of social movements. Economic impacts of social movements are defined here as pertaining to the economic sphere either in terms of government actions to...

Previous studies have found that left-wing and libertarian individuals are more likely to engage in extra-institutional political activism. However, due to a lack of suitable data, studies to date have not analysed the relative influence of economic redistributive and social libertarian values for the intensity of protest participation. By analysin...

By employing individual-level data on MPs in 15 countries and 73 national and local assemblies, this article examines the conditions under which individual MPs are responsive to interest organizations. We show that MPs’ political values influence their responsiveness: MPs with more egalitarian and socially open values are more responsive to interes...

The comprehensive and systematic study of collective action organizations (AOs) requires a new methodological approach that takes into account the rise of online sources as well as the new ways in which people interact and participate in politics. This article aims to present and situate in the related literature such an approach, which was recentl...

This article investigates the involvement of alternative action organizations in three forms of political advocacy in an attempt to gauge their degree of politicization. These forms can be understood as representing three different ways of making political claims: by raising public awareness with respect to a given cause or issue, by trying to infl...

This paper examines the political responses of European citizens in the public domain, which is ‘claims making’, in the context of the economic crisis that started in 2008. The goal is to show how citizens in nine European countries have responded to the economic crisis—or at least how they have dealt with issues pertaining to it. We adopt a broad...

Left-wing and libertarian individuals are more likely to engage in extra-institutional political activism. Yet studies to date have not analysed the relative influence of economic redistributive and social libertarian values for the intensity of protest participation due to the unavailability of data. By analysing data from a unique crossnational d...

We discuss a number of issues addressed in the volume. In particular, after an introduction about the capacity for resilience shown by European citizens, we summarize the volume’s content in terms of the economic crisis posing constraints for citizens, but also as opening up opportunities for change. Additionally, we discuss the intertwining of the...

We examine whether and to what extent, in spite of Switzerland having largely been spared the negative impact of the crisis at the macroeconomic level, people have felt its negative impact at the individual level. We focus on three main aspects: how people have perceived the economic crisis, the impact the crisis has had on their living and work co...

We discuss a number of issues relating to how the crisis impacts on the citizenry. More specifically, we discuss three main issues which are the focus of the three parts of the book. The first two parts deal with the ways in which citizens reacted to the crisis in two distinct political arenas, namely, the institutional arena and the extra-institut...

This volume presents evidence-based research on citizens’ experiences and reactions to the Great Recession in Europe. How did European citizen experience and react to the crisis? How are the experiences of crisis and political responses socially differentiated? Are some social classes and more deprived groups particularly hard hit? How did the cris...

In this paper we analyse the extent to which perceptions of the government’s role in the economic crisis impacted on the political behaviour of European citizens. This includes contentious political activities such as attending public meetings, participating in demonstrations, and joining strikes, but also electoral behaviour in the form of voting...

This chapter looks at the deprivation associated to unemployment and the related subjective well-being of young unemployed, and its impact on political engagement. It deals with the non-financial importance of paid work by building on deprivation theory. In the empirical part, we compare unemployed and employed youth to analyze how the exclusion fr...

This chapter wraps up the discussion and analyses done in Chaps. 3–6. Each of the preceding four chapters has tackled a given explanatory factor leading to a specific hypothesis about the political participation of unemployed youth. This chapter pulls things together and compares the four alternative hypotheses. The information provided in the prec...

This chapter looks at the political participation of long-term unemployed youth. The chapter starts with a theoretical discussion of the literature on the political participation of youth and of unemployed youth, then moves on to show descriptive data on the political attitudes and behaviors of unemployed youth in Geneva. The literature review focu...

This chapter investigates the role of social capital for the political engagement of unemployed youth. Both social capital drawn from membership in voluntary associations and that resulting from interpersonal networks and relations are considered. Previous research has often stressed the importance of civil society organizations for political engag...

The concluding chapter summarizes the main arguments and findings of the book, and outlines the main lessons that can be drawn from this case study. The chapter also discusses a number of methodological limitations of the study. Finally, it opens up new avenues for future research on youth, unemployment, and political engagement.

This chapter examines the interactions of young unemployed with the state and the ways in which they perceive unemployment agencies and policies, and how this impacts on their readiness to engage in politics. The chapter shows how the political engagement of unemployed youth rests on different perceptions of the way in which the state deals with un...

This chapter addresses the socioeconomic status of unemployed youth and how this may affect the impact of unemployment on their political engagement. From a descriptive point of view, the chapter provides a picture of the sociodemographic profile of young unemployed in Geneva, comparing them to employed youth. This comparison gives a first idea abo...

This introductory chapter outlines the main arguments of the book, describes the data and methodology used, and contextualizes the specific case at hand. Our study of the political engagement of young unemployed in Geneva relies on a theoretical perspective that focuses on different kinds of resources and the role they play in favoring or impeding...

This book examines patterns of political engagement of long-term unemployed youth. The authors show how unemployment affects the personal, social, and political life of young people. Focusing on the case of Geneva in Switzerland, the study shows the importance of socioeconomic, relational, psychological, and institutional resources for the politica...

This chapter examines the effects of long-term unemployment for youth social inclusion and personal well-being in Switzerland. Studying such effects in a context of low unemployment contributes to understanding how unemployment negatively affects everyday life and, in particular, how it hinders personal well-being and self-confidence. In such a con...

This chapter introduces the aims and scope of the book. The focus is on the everyday life patterns of young adults who are experiencing vulnerability and precariousness and in particular the web of social relations that structures the everyday lives of long-term unemployed young people. The contributors explore whether these informal contacts provi...

This chapter highlights some of the empirical findings of the book, both by identifying core issues, important similarities and the main differences between our national case studies. To this purpose, we address three main aspects: the interplay between unemployment as a social condition and the web of social relations; the key comparative findings...

An important wave of anti-austerity protests has swept across Western Europe in recent years. We can thus distinguish between three different types of protest occurring in Western Europe recently: “old” issue protests, relating to the trade union and labor movement; “new” issue protests, relating to culture and identity issues; anti-austerity prote...

We challenge the common wisdom that the Great Recession has produced radical changes in political behavior. Accordingly, we assess the extent to which the crisis has spurred protest activities and given socioeconomic issues a higher saliency in public debates. We also assess how far the crisis has provided a more prominent place for economic and la...

Citizens may respond to economic crises and to policy responses to such crises in a variety of ways. This special issue focuses on collective responses as they express themselves in the public domain, in the form of social movements or other types of interventions. The special issue originates in a large‐scale comparative research project funded by...

The economic crisis that started in 2008 has negatively affected European nations to different degrees. The sudden rise in demonstrations particularly in those countries most hard hit by the crisis suggests that grievance theories, dismissed in favour of resource-based models since the 1970s, might have a role to play for explaining protest behavio...

Dieser Beitrag untersucht die Reaktionen organisierter kollektiver Akteure im offentlichen Raum im Kontext der 2008 begonnenen Wirtschaftskrise. Er zielt darauf ab, zu zeigen, wie europaische Burger im offentlichen Raum, vermittelt durch die Medien, auf die Wirtschaftskrise reagiert haben – oder zumindest, wie sie mit den daraus entstehenden Themen...

We examine the relationship between material deprivation and different types of responses to economic crises by civil society actors. We are interested in understanding whether material deprivation has an effect on civil society reactions to the crisis and whether political opportunity factors contribute to this relationship. In particular, we wish...

Social movements have attracted much attention in recent years, both from scholars and among the wider public. This book examines the consequences of social movements, covering such issues as the impact of social movements on the life course of participants and the population in general, on political elites and markets, and on political parties and...

Introduction Studying the outcomes of social movements is important if we want to elucidate the role of collective action in society. While most works have addressed aggregate-level political outcomes such as changes in laws or new policies, a relatively small but substantial body of literature deals with the personal and biographical consequences...

Social movements have attracted much attention in recent years, both from scholars and among the wider public. This book examines the consequences of social movements, covering such issues as the impact of social movements on the life course of participants and the population in general, on political elites and markets, and on political parties and...

The origin of peace movements can be traced back to the early nineteenth century, with the foundation of the first peace societies in the Anglo-Saxon world. Issues addressed by the movements include the general fight against war and promotion of peace (including internationalism), antiwar mobilization, nuclear disarmament (including nuclear test ba...

This paper explores the hypothesis that the electoral participation of Muslims varies according to two main types of opportunities, namely, institutional and discursive opportunities (DOs), characterising their country of residence. More specifically, we assess the impact of institutional opportunities (IOs) in terms of civic and cultural dimension...

This paper proposes an alternative explanation of Muslims’ endorsement of secular values based on their belonging to religious minorities. We argue that, contrary to what is often asserted in both the academic literature and the public debate, Muslims’ endorsement of secular values is not simply a matter of strong individual religiosity, but may al...

Environmental movements are networks of informal interactions that may include individuals, groups, and organizations engaged in collective action motivated by shared identity or concern about environmental issues. This article reviews literature on environmental movements (including antinuclear energy movements) according to four main aspects: the...

This article examines the role of social class for individual participation in social movements, more specifically in street demonstrations. The authors use protest survey data in order to avoid the limitations of previous research by contextualizing the effect of social class on participation in protest. The analysis focuses on demonstrations addr...

This paper examines the impact of interactions with welfare institutions on the political partici-pation of long-term unemployed youth in two cities. We assess the role of resource redistribution and of political learning on engagement in protest activities. We use a unique dataset of long-term unemployed youth to predict the probability that long-...

This paper looks at the determinants of the political participation of Muslims. We assess the impact of associational involvement on their overall political participation and their involvement in protest activities. We do so using original survey data consisting of a random sample of Muslim residents in Switzerland. Our analysis provides support to...

The Handbook presents a most updated and comprehensive exploration of social movement research. It not only maps, but also expands the field of social movement studies, taking stock of recent developments in cognate areas of studies, within and beyond sociology and political science. While structured around traditional social movement concepts, eac...

Civil society organizations play a crucial role in the inclusion of resource-poor and deprived people who are at risk of exclusion. Young unemployed people are one such group. In fact, civil society organizations are important for people in general, as they contribute to the vitality of democracy, for example, by creating social capital which, in t...

Youth unemployment has become an increasingly salient concern of both policy-makers and societies across Europe. From 2008 onwards, the financial and economic crisis has exacerbated what was already a chronic situation: In December 2012 the youth unemployment rate in the EU-27 rose above 23% with countries such as Spain and Greece at a frightening...

This chapter examines the relationship between employment status and the political participation of young people. We focus more specifically on the impact of long-term unemployment on the participation of youth. We aim to determine whether exclusion from the labor market deters the potential that youngsters have for political participation and ther...

This chapter looks at the impact of religion on the political participation of Muslims in Switzerland. We distinguish between two dimensions of the potential impact of religion on participation: an individual dimension concerning individual religiosity and a collective dimension pertaining to collective religious embeddedness. Our analysis shows th...

This chapter assesses the importance of brokerage in the multi-organizational field of unemployment. Similar sets of policies targeting the unemployed can translate into different sets of opportunities for civil society actors. A crucial aspect regards the unique position that each actor has at the intersection of the public and the policy domains....

Civil society organizations carry out a number of different actions: they may provide services, such as advisory or counseling activities, to their members or to a larger constituency; invest in educational and awarenessraising activities; organize social and cultural events; raise funds to ensure their survival; and so on. However, they can also e...

Other contributions to this book have examined the impact of political context on political behavior in the field of unemployment and precarity and have focused on the multi-organizational nature of the unemployment and precarity field and its network dynamics. This chapter consists of a research design that analyzes the impact of the actors’ netwo...

Scholarship has left the study of the consequences of social movements in the background for a long time, focusing instead on movement emergence, characteristics, and dynamics. Since the mid-1970s, however, scholars have paid an increasing interest in how social movements and protest activities may produce change at various levels. The existing lit...

In this article we discuss the emergence of ‘youth unemployment regimes’ in Europe, that is, a set of coherent measures and policies aimed at providing state responses to the problem of unemployment and, more specifically, youth unemployment. We classify these measures and policies along two main dimensions: unemployment regulations and labour mark...