Individualising social and political participation - reconstituting youth in policy making
Rose Melville
School of Social Work and Applied Human Sciences, University of Queensland
Contact Email:   r.melvillesocial.uq.edu.au

Overseas evidence indicates that lack of trust and belief in politicians is increasing amongst all ages and socio-economic groups, and that people are disengaging from institutional forms of political participation in growing numbers. This so-called 'crisis' in democratic countries is especially evident in the behaviours and attitudes of young people who are more likely to suffer social exclusion due to high rates of unemployment, lack of education, social status and social skills. Ironically, this is occurring at a time when western governments are intensifying their efforts to re-engage young people in traditional forms of political activities and practices.

A major tenant of neoliberal doctrines is an emphasis on the role of the individual as a self-governing person responsible for their own social, political and economical well-being. It should not be surprising then, that young people’s political practices reflect these ideologies in post-industrial western societies. This paper examines what young people (18 and 25 years) think about the notion of 'political participation'. This includes the formal (voting and belonging to political parties) and informal methods (fashion, popular culture, music, sub-cultures) of political participation and their ability to influence policymaking on local and global issues. The paper reports on the preliminary findings of an empirical study of (n=210) young people using a survey and focus groups. Some writers argue, that young people are not apathetic about public policy concerns; they participate in different ways and methods compared to previous generations.

Theoretically, and practically this paper raises a number of important issues for policy makers. What is their understanding of political participation? Do their notions of political participation provide alternate visions to discourses of the neo-liberal individual? How does this reflect on the status of young people in contemporary society?

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