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.

Research Projects
  • Digital Activism, Global Dimensions

    Digital Activism, Global Dimensions, led by Network member Ethan Zuckerman, is a set of case studies designed to explore the dynamics of activism in the age of digital communications.

  • E-Publics

    E-Publics

    E-Publics, led by Network member Danielle Allen, explored the positive and negative impacts of the Internet on the "new public sphere."

  • Good Participation Project

    The Good Participation Project (GP), led by Network member Howard Gardner and Carrie James, was a study of the why, what, and how of contemporary young people’s civic and political participation.

  • Media, Activism and Participatory Politics

    The Media, Activism, and Participatory Politics (MAPP) Project, led by Network member Henry Jenkins and Sangita Shresthova, was based at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and conducted five case studies of diverse youth-driven communities that translated mechanisms of participatory culture into civic engagement and political participation.

  • Youth Activism Project

    The Youth Activism Project (YAP), led by Network member Jennifer Earl, focused on youth engagement in online activism, particularly more ephemeral forms of activism (often referred to as flash activism).

  • Youth Media and its Digital Afterlife

    Youth Media and its Digital Afterlife, led by Network member Elisabeth Soep, followed young people’s creative, investigative, and civic-minded projects through the stages of development, distribution, and—crucially—what happened once the work was released to networked audiences.

  • Youth Participatory Politics Survey Project

    The Youth Participatory Politics Survey Project (YPPSP), led by Network members Cathy Cohen and Joseph Kahne, has collected survey data from a nationally representative sample of more than 2,500 respondents ages 15-25. This data provides researchers with a unique opportunity to interrogate how youth from a variety of backgrounds participate in and experience public life, online and off.