Abstract
This chapter analyses the scientific bibliography on the civic engagement of young people published in English between 2014 and 2019. Sixty-nine articles published in international scientific journals were analyzed. The main objective of this meta-research is to understand what problems have been investigated and the data collection techniques used. The authors found that the most researched problem was the analysis and understanding of the impact that participation has on plans and programs designed by diverse socio-educational actors with regard to the civic engagement of young people. Based on the meta-research carried out, they propose three socially innovative intervention strategies aimed at improving youth civic engagement. Each strategy is designed to enhance young people's agency in order to increase their levels of social participation.
TopBackground
The concept of civic engagement has been reviewed by various authors and institutions in the specialized literature from different disciplinary fields (Andolina et al., 2002). It is important to clarify that there is no standard definition of this term (Clement, Deering, Mikhael & Villa-García, 2014). The concept has been defined according to variables as diverse as the country in which a given bibliographic reference is generated, the discipline it comes from or the organization that promotes a document in which it is described (Meinzen-Dick, Di Gregorio & McCarthy, 2004). Nevertheless, some recurring aspects can be identified in the literature when defining the term. Broadly speaking, civic engagement refers to the actions developed by citizens seeking to participate in their community and trying to improve the living conditions of the people who belong to it (Adler & Goggin, 2005). Civic engagement can adopt more classical forms of involvement in traditional politics (participating in voting, belonging to political parties, organizing electoral campaigns, etc.) as well as other more community-based forms of civic participation (organizing marches, signing petitions, developing volunteer actions, etc.). More specifically, Checkoway and Aldana (2013) have identified four different ways of putting civic engagement into practice: grassroots organizations, intergroup dialogue, citizen participation and sociopolitical development.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Agency: The ability of people to make decisions and participate in issues related to their own lives and the community in which they live, in contexts where they can be heard.
Meta-Research: Systematic review work aimed at understanding how research is developing in a particular field of knowledge.
Meta-Participation: Competence that allows the understanding of how participatory processes are being developed (content, format, actors, etc.).
Co-Productive Interactivity: Characteristics of digital tools that allow for the easy management of content and active intervention in virtual spaces.
Youth Civic Engagement: The development of knowledge that allows young people to perceive themselves as being part of participation processes in common areas of their civil life.
Online Civic Engagement: Strategies that people are using to participate through the various applications provided by the internet.
Informal Structures of Participation: Symbolic spaces where people can participate that are not regulated by formal or clearly structured rules.