Analysing existing research and policy documents that have shaped the youth policy discourse is the key to establishing future avenues of more youth-inclusive policies. With a literature review covering the last four decades, this study brings a new perspective on the evolution of youth participation in politics across four key epochs.
It cannot be said that the literature on youth participation forms a strong and robust body of evidence on which policymakers can draw. Academic, peer-reviewed literature on youth participation is diverse, and scattered across a range of disciplines. Pieces are written from a variety of perspectives often without dialogue between fields. Compared to policy areas such as health, education, or employment, it is relatively under-researched as a large proportion of studies are small-scale qualitative case study-style endeavours. The research also uses different terminology and underpinning concepts making comparisons challenging. Particularly for policy and programme makers, a key gap in the literature is work analysing the effectiveness of programmes and policies. Though some work has been undertaken in the area of civic education, the field is almost entirely absent from systematic evaluation of large-scale interventions to promote youth participation. Despite the small scale, there is a coherent set of narratives and discourses within literature. Much of this has been framed by attempts to define and reconsider what is meant by political participation, in response to changing patterns of engagement of young people and the political sphere. For those developing programmes and policy, it is also essential to consider more deeply what is the goal of any actor’s attempts to promote youth participation, and what it implies about young people.
The latest scoping study developed by WYDE Civic Engagement tackles these questions with an in-depth exploration of youth political participation, focusing on the design and implementation of youth-related policies. The policy tracker study is based on a comprehensive literature and policy review, tracking key developments from 1980 to 2023. It covers three main areas:
- Youth involvement in political affairs,
- Participation in elections,
- And engagement in civil society, with an emphasis on democratic environments.
By systemically analysing research and policy documents that have shaped the policy discourse over the last four decades, the study brings a new perspective on the evolution of youth participation in politics across four key epochs. It offers a unique chronological order highlighting key trends and shifts in youth policymaking while situating them within broader democratic practices, ultimately providing insights for future avenues of research and development of more youth-inclusive policies.
