Citizenship in Britain: Values, Participation and Democracy

by Charles Pattie , Patrick Seyd , Paul Whiteley

• ISBN13: 9780521534642
• ISBN10: 052153464X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-12-13
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

There are increasing concerns about changes in society and the economy which are undermining the effectiveness of democracy and weakening traditional conceptions of citizenship. What does it mean to be a British citizen in the early part of the 21st century? This book presents the first major empirical study of citizenship in Britain, comprising surveys of political participation and voluntary activities, and of the beliefs and values which underpin them. As well as presenting new data, the authors provide a sophisticated discussion of the concept of citizenship, and the consequences of a lack of civic engagement in a modern democracy. It examines why some people are 'good' citizens when others are 'bad' and it explores the consequences of citizenship for policy-makers and democracy. Comprehensive and accessible, this book makes a major contribution to our understanding of civic attitudes in Britain today and will appeal to students, researchers and policy-makers.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	vii
List of Tables	x
Acknowledgements	xiii
Preface	xv
1 What is Citizenship?	1	(26)
I. Understanding Citizenship	27	(100)
2 Civic Beliefs and Citizenship	29	(47)
3 Civic Behaviour and Citizenship: Macro Politics	76	(34)
4 Civic Behaviour and Citizenship: Micro Politics	110	(17)
II. Modelling Citizenship	127	(60)
5 Alternative Theories of Citizenship	129	(23)
6 Testing Rival Theories of Citizenship	152	(35)
III. The Consequences of Citizenship	187	(98)
7 So What? The Consequences	189	(35)
8 The Dynamics of Citizenship	224	(38)
9 Challenges to Citizenship in Contemporary Britain	262	(23)
Appendices	285	(39)
Appendix A The Citizen Audit: Technical Details	287	(2)
Appendix B The Questionnaires	289	(35)
Bibliography	324	(10)
Index	334