Projects / Programmes
Active Citizenship: Towards Politics of Equality
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 5.06.00 |
Social sciences |
Political science |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| S170 |
Social sciences |
Political and administrative sciences |
citizenship, active citizenship, (in)equality, intersectionality, strong and weak publics, civil society, social cohesion
Researchers (1)
| no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
21687 |
PhD Mojca Pajnik |
Political science |
Head |
2007 - 2009 |
615 |
Organisations (1)
| no. |
Code |
Research organisation |
City |
Registration number |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
0366 |
Peace Institute |
Ljubljana |
5498295000 |
3,572 |
Abstract
The project devises a new concept of active citizenship by situating the concept of citizenship into the transition societies of Central-Eastern Europe and by analysing recent theories of participatory citizenship, verifying the suitability of this new concept for the realisation of political equality, participation and social cohesion. Current theories of citizenship argue that in order to surpass the policies of inequality it is necessary to go beyond the duality of “established” and “alternative publics”, and to include civil society into the processes of policy formation. Namely, policies are created through discursive processes and examples from practice show that inequalities are often a consequence of incorrectly or insufficiently defined problems, from the definition of which the citizens have been excluded. The project will analyse selected current policies in Slovenia and the EU that touch upon equal citizenship, as well as focus on the evaluation of mechanisms of inclusion into citizenship or the exclusion from it. It will study the consistencies/inconsistencies of Slovene policies with the EU equality-related resolutions and recommendations. Based on the concept of intersectionality, which recognises the interdependence of exclusion mechanisms and expects the possibility of reproduction of such mechanisms due to personal circumstances (gender, age, nationality, ethnicity etc.), we aim to ascertain under which conditions the inequalities add up in such a way that they form new contexts of exclusion, hindering access to full citizenship. My previous research experiences show for instance that when access to the labour market is already problematic due to a person’s ethnicity, (female) migrants encounter even greater obstacles when trying to access the (legal) labour market. Examples from practice further demonstrate that mechanisms of exclusion based on personal circumstances are also reproduced in accessing the labour market, employment, housing policy, healthcare and social policy. This project will test the hypothesis that the stronger are the mechanisms and practices of exclusion and the more these presuppose intersectionality (crossing) of inequalities, the weaker are the political and social consensus, social cohesion and political legitimacy, causing a greater split in the society. In this sense, this research will show that it is only possible to satisfactorily change the mechanisms and practices of exclusion from full citizenship by an active citizenship approach that assumes new forms of citizen participation and responsibility. Using a theoretical deliberation and applicative verification of options for the realisation of active citizenship, one of the main goals of the proposed project is to formulate guidelines for the realisation of the cohesive and development potentials of active citizenship in practice.
Significance for science
The project dealt with placing the concept of citizenship in the area of Central-Eastern Europe. In so doing it bridged the gap in this field, for there is a notable lack of application of the citizenship theory from the Anglo-Saxon tradition to the Central-Eastern European area, to the context of states in transition and their active role in the EU. By analysing classical theories of citizenship and based on the appropriate placement of the concept into the specific environment, the project is focused on surpassing the existing gap. The project also brings the opportunity for a new study of citizenship, focused on the phenomenon of civic activity, i.e. the idea of active citizenship. The project attempted to theorise and applicatively verify the inclusion/exclusion of policies in relation to the level of communication between various actors, consequently introducing and conceptualising the phenomenon of active citizenship. Introducing and studying the concept of intersectionality, the presence of intersection and multiplication of discriminatory political practices that multiply the contexts of inequality, the project brings new theoretical views on policies of inequality, aiming to offer an inclusive and participatory concept of active citizenship. The project aimed at creating a consulting (dialogic) process between theory and practice. Based on theorising the concept of active citizenship and the attempt to situate this concept in the specific historic and cultural context, the project also verified the applicability of this concept to ensure social cohesion and development. At the same time new dimensions of uniting methodological approaches to the study of citizenship were introduced. Namely, the project used a combination of different methods to test the model of active citizenship, i.e. frame analysis method, voice analysis, and analysis of interviews for verifying the experiences and opinions on the issue of active citizenship. Analysing concrete documents, strategies, political debates, and laws; checking the opinions and views present in the documents produced by the members of civil society; and gathering additional information from the interviews conducted with individuals most affected by specific policies, the project tested the empirical significance of the concept of active citizenship in order to recommend guidelines for its use in the future scientific research, as well as its application to concrete public policies.
Significance for the country
By studying the reasons for inequality this project formulated guidelines for eliminating inequality and ensuring full citizenship; in this way the project contributed to the growth of social cohesion. Finding out which are the causes and consequences of the elements of exclusion and inequality present in public policies, the project proposed mechanisms for eradication of inequality that will in practice enhance Slovenia’s developmental potentials in the direction of greater integration and cohesion. Grounded in our findings about the causes and workings of the mechanisms of exclusion in public policies, specifically in the area of migration politics, for instance the exclusion of certain citizens from the labour market, employment policy, also social and health security, the project proposed new developmental strategies. Furthermore, the project aimed at formulating recommendations to actually put full citizenship into practice – by way of using policies of ending the unequal access to the labour market and public services. The project aimed at proposing solutions to diminish social tensions, and help enforce full citizenship and cohesion of Slovenia as a multicultural society of respect for difference and assurance of equality.
Most important scientific results
Final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Final report,
complete report on dLib.si
