Too Young For Democracy? An Analysis of Youth Participation in Representative, Deliberative and Agonistic Democracies
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2022-06-24
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en
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Abstract
As the focus of democratic theorists has shifted from a vote-centric towards a talk-centric democracy, the participation of adolescents in talk-centric democracies is often neglected. This research examines the accessibility to participate for adolescents in a vote-centric democracy. This research shows that adolescents´ current inability to participate in a representative democracy through voting is unjust. Furthermore, the difficulties and opportunities for young people to participate in talk-centric democracies, a deliberative and an agonistic democracy, are displayed. This is done by analyzing the characteristics of adolescents and evaluating the compatibility of these characteristics with the required virtues of each democracy. Both alternatives offer different opportunities for young people to participate, especially because schools are an excellent environment to prepare adolescents for both a life in a deliberative and an agonistic democracy. Still, it is argued that an agonistic democracy is more inclusive to young people. An agonistic democracy allows adolescents to channel their emotional responses, which is necessary for their well-being. However, young people may still encounter group-specific difficulties in an agonistic democracy, which should be acknowledged in order to truly include them.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen