3.2). The Importance of Political Participation
The concept of political participation is fundamentally intertwined with
democracy. Almond and Nie argue that “unless there is control of governmental
elites by non-elites, it is hard to consider a political system democratic” (1963,
p.341). In representative democracy, participation allows citizens to shape
public policy by influencing their political leaders. Hansen suggests that “the
threat of being evicted from office (or the lure of attaining office) may induce
political leaders to anticipate and to respond to popular demands” (1975,
p.1181). Consequently, political participation is a crucial source of legitimacy and
political stability for democratic regimes. As of 2022, 51% of states globally can
be categorised as an electoral democracy or liberal democracy (Herre, et al.,
2013, p1). Considering democracy is the most common regime type, research
into political participation is of critical importance. Not only is it necessary to
research levels of participation, but also to investigate often overlooked changes
in the nature of participation. These changes can offer valuable insight into the
health and functionality of democracies around the globe.
3.3). Conventional vs Unconventional Participation
Following Milbrath’s seminal work on political participation, research into the
topic focused on differentiating between forms of participation. The foremost
development in this area would be the separation of participatory activities into
conventional and unconventional methods of participation. Barnes and Kaase
assert that conventional participation specifically refers to activities relating to
the electoral system, and unconventional participation as protest activity (1979,
p.38). Under this definition, activities such as voting in an election or supporting
a political campaign would be considered conventional, whereas attending a
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