Comparative Politics

The Multilevel Political Representation in Europe in the Times of Economic Crisis – A Complete Analysis In times of economic crisis everything becomes more complicated. Explanations accepted so far can be reconsidered since the conditions are now different than before. In Europe, the context has been changing not only because of the crisis but also thanks to further European integration. All these developments opened the floor for many multi-dimensional discussions. This section aims to cover some of those questions. • Attitudes towards Democracy: Legitimacy, Satisfaction and Disaffection In troubled times many citizens tend to change their attitude towards the system. Today, the economic crisis is not only showing the weaknesses and inefficiencies of current democratic systems, it is also questioning their legitimacy. For this reason a profound analysis of the attitude of citizens is necessary. This panel will especially welcome papers with empirical evidence. • Citizenship and Identity Citizenship represents, without any doubt, one of the most controversial concepts in political science. A key dimension of this notion is related to the level individuals’ identification with the political community. This panel seeks to address different implications of citizenship as identity in both civic and affective terms, to highlight the potential relationship between these two dimensions and to question the extent to which the recent economic and political crisis challenges citizens’ sense of belonging. Both theoretical and empirical papers are welcomed. • Youth and Politics In discussions related to political representation, young people have a special place. There are certain differences in the attitudes and voting behaviour of different age groups and the effect of cleavages on them. Young people are more affected by the cleavages in the context since they have less political experience. This panel welcomes papers underlining these differences and providing evidence. • Elections, Economic Voting and Accountability This panel will welcome papers on the elections in times of crisis, profound analysis on economic voting and discussions on accountability. Both national parliament elections and the 2014 European Parliament elections can be included in this panel. Papers using empirical evidence are especially encouraged. • Theory of Political Participation, Social Movements and Social Media Economic crisis in Europe created a certain need to revise the functioning and organization of our government institutions. Political institutions have scarcely modified their design to adapt their functioning to the social evolutions we are witnessing. The object of this panel is to think about the theoretical contributions that advance the research on theories of representation and participation beyond the elections. The panel is interested in political representation at different levels, social movements and the usage of social media for mobilisation. • Governance in the EU beyond the Crisis: A New Europe? All the changes Europe has been going through created a certain need to revisit the governance in the Union. This process opened the doors for further discussion for governance models and institutions. This panel aims to discuss these changes taking place and discuss the future governance of the European Union.