Structured Dialogue: A Democratic Innovation in the Youth Field

Young people are often presented as the apolitical harbingers of a ‘crisis of democracy’ based on the fact that there has been a clear decrease in traditional forms of political participation (voting, participation in political organizations, and connection to political institutions). Sometimes, on the other hand, they are heralded as innovators of politics, as creators of new forms of participation. Western democracies have already experienced periods when young people were demanding for opportunities to influence policy making. Youth policy in Europe is actually a result of ’68 movements, and participation is one of the key priorities of Youth Policy at European level. The paper describes characteristics of the Structured Dialogue process based on the evaluation framework for Democratic Innovations. Via using V-Dem database and collecting data from the European Youth Forum and its member organizations the paper aims to explain the link between the participatory quality of European democracies and the efficacy of national youth organizations in reaching out young Europeans in frame of the Structured Dialogue process.