Prof. Risto Alapuro, University of Helsinki, Finland
Ass. Prof. Oleg Kharkhordin, European University, St. Petersburg, Russia
Ass. Prof. Filip Wijkström, Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden
Decreasing level of citizen participation in the established political system has lately been pointed out as a major legitimacy problem for the principles of democratic governance. Simultaneously, distinguishing between the domains of state, market and civil society has become increasingly difficult. By the title Politics of Participation the organisers aim to draw attention to the shifting forms, contents, agents, and institutions of popular participation and joint action in the contemporary and modern context. The focus is on the processes taking place on the multifaceted ‘third sector’. The topic is approached in a wider European context, including also the emergent forms of democratic participation and civil society development trends in the Eastern European societies.
The workshop papers represent different fields of social sciences and addresses the following themes from a contemporary and historical perspective.
The conference is organised by the Centre for Nordic Studies (CENS) at the Renvall Institute for Area and Cultural Studies in collaboration with the Network on European Voluntary Associations, the EU-funded project on Consensual Political Cultures of the Small West European States and the research project Spaces of Democracy: Representation, Citizenship and the Public Sphere, funded by the Academy of Finland.
13.45-14.00 Opening words: Henrik Stenius, University of Helsinki (aud II)
14.00-15.30 Workshops, Session I
A. National minorities, community building and participation (aud II)
Chair: Karl Henrik Sivesind, Institute for Social Research, University of Oslo
Claiming citizenship – the identity and belonging of Finnish Roma
Camilla Nordberg, Department of Social Sciences, Åbo Akademi
Micro power relations in a diasporic community
Marie-Louise Karttunen, Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Helsinki
Participation in decision-making by indigeneous peoples of the North in Russia
Tamara Semenova, Russian Institute on Cultural and Natural Heritage
B. New forms and forums for local democracy and citizenship (aud III)
Chair: Eeva Luhtakallio, Department of Sociology, University of Helsinki
Public-private partnerships in the financing of culture and the fine arts
Lilian Schwalb, Institute of Political Science, University of Münster
Organizational networks of governance and public policy-making
Arho Toikka, Department of Social Policy, University of Helsinki
Practising local citizenship: deliberations on municipal services in Helsinki
Eeva Luhtakallio, Department of Sociology, University of Helsinki
16.00-18.00 Key Note Session (aud XII)
Participation in Res Publica: People, Things, Institutions
Professor Oleg Kharkhordin, European University at St. Petersburg,
Civil Society: New Borders & New Orders
Filip Wikjström, Stockholm School of Economics
10.00-12.00 Workshops, Session II
A. Historical dimensions of participation (aud II)
Chair: Sidsel Eriksen, Institute of History, University of Copenhagen
Conservation movements and political participation: Urban conflicts and municipal policies 1945-2005
Laura Kolbe, Department of History, University of Helsinki
The diffusion of political ideas in space and time: The case of alterglobalist movement in Finland
Suvi Ervamaa, Department of Sociology, University of Helsinki
Participation in a consensus-seeking democracy: The Finnish institution of state committees as a framework
of collective consultation
Johanna Rainio-Niemi, Department of Social Science History, University of Helsinki
Open institutions and public participation: Historical developments in state-society interactions
Tero Erkkilä, Department of Political Science, University of Helsinki
B. Civic engagement and dimensions of citizenship (aud III)
Chair: Erik Amnå, Centre for Public Sector Research, University of Gothenburg
Civic engagement as participation?
Peter Hilger, Department of Political Sciences, University of Helsinki
Local civil society – two empirical approaches to look at it
Thorsten Hallman, Institute of Political Science, University of Münster
Democracy and ethical citizenship
Annukka Hulkko, Department of Teacher Education, University of Tampere
Labourers citizenship according Robert Owen and Daniel Legrand
Mia Hemming, Department of History, University of Tampere
13.30-15.30 Workshops, Session III (sessions A an B were merged)
Participation in the established frameworks: party system and voting (aud III)
Chair: Karl Henrik Sivesind, Institute for Social Research, University of Oslo
The end of a distinctive model of democracy? Country-diverse orientations among young adult Scandinavians
Erik Amnå, Centre for Public Sector Research, University of Göteborg; Tina Ekman, University of Göteborg; Ellen Almgren, Uppsala University
The Finnish exception: Is the party competition in Finland inaccessible to radical right populist parties?
Elina Kestilä, Department of Political Science, University of Turku
Generations and socialization into political participation
Hanna Wass, Department of Political Sciences, University of Helsinki
Preconditions of democratic e-governance - A critical approach
Tapio Häyhtiö & Auli Keskinen, Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Tampere
16.00-18.00 Panel Discussion (aud XIV)
Young people don´t vote – a cause for concern?
Panellists: Member of the Parliament Heidi Hautala, NGO Activist Anastasia Laitila, Researcher Kari Paakkunainen, University of Helsinki, Researcher Åsa Bengtsson, Åbo Akademi University.
Chair: Professor Pauli Kettunen, University of Helsinki
10.00-12.00 Workshops, Session IV
A. Civic initiatives and civil society trends in the EU-era (aud II)
Chair: Sidsel Eriksen, Institute of History, University of Copenhagen
The institutionalization of civil initiatives in Estonia: The organizational structure and resources
Erle Rikmann, Estonian Institute of Humanities, Department of Social Theory, Tallinn University
Political participation in Estonia and Latvia – dual communities in making
Veiko Spolitis, International Relations & European Studies Department, Riga Stradina University
Volunteering and political participation in Turkey
Laden Yurttaguler, NGO Training and Research Center, Istanbul Bilgi University
B. Participation, recruitment, and resource mobilisation in voluntary associations (aud III)
Chair: Erik Amnå, Centre for Public Sector Research, University of Gothenburg
Why certain NGO:s choose to co-operate with corporations while others do not?
Sofie Cedstrand, Centre for Public Sector Research, University of Gothenburg
Non-profit organisations in changing environments: New requirements for volunteer recruitment
Holger Krimmer, Department of Political Science, University of Münster
Depreciated social capital? Changes in Norwegian teenagers´ participation in voluntary organisations from 1992-2002
Karl Henrik Sivesind, Institute for Social Research, University of Oslo
13.30-14.15 Key Note Session (aud XIV)
Participation, Voluntary Associations, and the State
Professor Risto Alapuro, University of Helsinki,
14.15-14.45 Discussion and conclusion: Professor Risto Alapuro, University of Helsinki