About this Research Topic

Background

Modern democracies are closely linked to the principle of representation. Many scholars use "democracy" and "representation" interchangeably, although not all forms of representation are democratic. However, the two terms are closely related, as representation has become the predominant form of organizing modern democracies. The main principle of representation has remained unchanged over the centuries: People's representatives should reflect the will of the people and act accordingly in representative political bodies. In recent years, modern representative democracy has faced numerous challenges and criticisms, many of which relate to the quality of democracy in general and the quality of representation in particular. Various public opinion surveys have revealed a growing negative sentiment toward the main institutions of representative democracy. Trust in these institutions, as well as satisfaction with the functioning of democracy in general, is extremely low, reaching critical levels in some countries.

The age group most affected by this problem and most disillusioned with democracy is the youth. Their distrust toward institutional politics has led to increasing alienation from electoral politics and the institutions of representative democracy. Constant crises and the resulting measures have disproportionately burdened the youth, exacerbating the situation. The low number of young national parliamentarians reflects how disconnected young people feel from traditional politics. Research shows that the percentage of MPs younger than 30 in national parliaments in OECD countries rarely exceeds 2 per cent. With less than 2.8 per cent of young MPs and similarly low proportions of young female MPs, combined with evidence of low political participation, such anti-youth political systems lead to political outcomes that are unfavorable to young people. Studies suggest that political outcomes tend to favor those who participate most actively, reinforcing the idea that "if you do not vote, you do not count." Although older age groups might represent the interests of youth, empirically, this is not the case.

Given the immense distrust of institutional politics among the young, modern representative democracies are becoming increasingly vulnerable. More voices are questioning the validity of the current form of representative democracy and even democracy itself. However, as long as over 90 per cent of citizens in OECD countries consider democracy the best form of government—with youth around 70 per cent—the focus should be on improving the current system to better meet the needs of citizens, particularly the underrepresented. Therefore, contributing to the debate on the nature of (youth) representation is more beneficial than questioning the concept of representation altogether, especially for young people and their advocates.

The focus of representation—whether it is of geographically defined sections of society, voters of political parties, or specific social groups—seems to be a key consideration in addressing young people's disengagement from institutional politics. Yet, studies rarely explore this aspect. What we do know is that the representation of particular social groups, such as youth, is the least practiced role of MPs. While the representation of women in politics has been highlighted for decades, the issue of youth representation, despite their alienation from institutional politics, remains underexplored. Although there is growing awareness of the importance of youth political representation and participation, research on youth representation in legislative bodies and ways to promote it remains sparse. This Research Topic aims to fill this gap by exploring evidence of youth misrepresentation, the role of parliaments as socially representative institutions, and the views of both citizens and representatives on youth representation.

Proposed papers may be theoretical or empirical and can address topics such as:
• Why do political institutions struggle to represent youth effectively?
• What is the evidence on youth representation? How significant is the problem, and are there differences across countries, levels, and institutions?
• What constitutes youth representation? What models exist, and which is most effective?
• Why should youth representation be a norm in any well-functioning democracy, and what does adequate representation look like?
• What are the best practices of youth representation, and what makes it effective?
• What are the consequences of inadequate youth representation, and how does it affect young people?
• To what extent do political representatives focus on youth, and to what extent should they?
• What do young people expect from their political representatives, and what qualities should these representatives have?

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: youth political participation, electoral participation, citizenship, citizenship education

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