YPP Network Description

The MacArthur Research Network on Youth and Participatory Politics (YPP) formed out of recognition that youth are critical to the future of democracy and that the digital age is introducing technological changes that are impacting how youth develop into informed, engaged, and effective actors.

Youth, Activism, and Social Movements
by Jennifer Earl, Thomas V. Maher, Thomas Elliott
April 3, 2017
There has been considerable debate over the extent and role of young people's political participation. Whether considering popular hand-wringing over concerns about declines in young people's institutional political participation or dismissals of young people's use of online activism, many frame youth engagement through a “youth deficit” model that assumes that adults need to politically socialize young people. However, others argue that young people are politically active and actively involved in their own political socialization, which is evident when examining youth participation in protest, participatory politics, and other forms of noninstitutionalized political participation.

Jennifer Earl, Thomas V. Maher, & Thomas Elliott. Youth, activism, and social movements, Sociology Compass, Volume11, Issue4 April 2017e12465. First published: 03 April 2017