1,721,022 research outputs found
Flow as a measure of political engagement
No full textSeveral studies highlighted that engaging in volunteer activities is associated with higher levels of wellbeing (Klar & Kasser, 2009; Meier & Stutzer, 2008). This notwithstanding researchers from various disciplines underline the constant shift from more traditional forms of political participation to civic participation (Dalton, 2007; Miller & Shanks, 1996; Zukin, Keeter, Andolina, Jenkins, & Delli Carpini, 2006). Hence enhancement of political participation is a central issue for current institutions, in the face of the rising distrust in political organizations as traditional parties recorded in many countries. Focusing on the perceived quality of participatory experience gained an increasing importance in scientific debate, in order to detect the most effective constructs and tools to study this field (Mannarini, 2010; Mannarini, Fedi, & Trippetti, 2010).
The aim of this study is to apply the Flow Theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975/2000) to the political domain, in order to explore the characteristics of optimal experience in such activities and to spot the key aspects able to foster political participation among citizens.
Data were collected with an online survey among 224 political activists, mainly from Lombardia region. Participants completed an adapted version of Flow Questionnaire (FQ) (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996), providing information on activities associated with flow, and Flow State Scale (FSS) (Jackson & Marsh, 1996; Muzio, 2004), exploring separately the role of the nine dimensions composing flow, along with a set of items built to explore the characteristics of political participation enacted (e.g. frequency, role in the political group, length of involvement).
Results of FQ showed that 71.5% of participants recognizing flow lived it in political activities. Moreover optimal experience is related to increased frequency of such activities (χ2 (3) = 19.82, p < .001) and higher roles in the group (χ2 (3) = 24.93, p < .001). Among the activities cited as sources of flow, politics appeared to be one of the most frequently reported (14.56%), following work/study (28.48%) and leisure (24.05%). Most mentioned activities referred to electoral campaigns (24.79%), debates (21.49%) and organizational tasks (17.36%). The analyses performed on FSS highlighted the important role of specific flow dimensions, being them “challenge-skill balance”, “clear goals” “concentration on task” and “autotelic experience”. Correlation analyses showed that scores of “action-awareness merging” (p < .05), “time transformation” (p < .01) and “autotelic experience” (p < .001) were negatively associated with age.
Flow turns out to be a useful lens to observe political activism. Its presence supports the development of a process of cultural selection that leads people to engage in politics. Hence they identify in politics their own life theme, finally becoming activists. As long as the political domain is able to nourish intrinsic motivation among citizens, it will maintain its capability to attract new volunteers
Political participation. A way towards Degrowth
No full textDegrowth supports a sober and convivial vision of life through principles encouraging equality and social relations. The cultural perspective it proposes is conceived also as the starting point for a concrete political action, and political subjects based on such ideas has risen in several countries. These principles play a key role in favoring citizens’ participation in public life, which is a crucial issue in modern countries. In fact they are facing a decline of political participation, which is becoming more and more relevant because of its link with generational factors. Hence, according to recent studies, there are two different explanations for such phenomenon: the youth are moving from political to civic participation; they are withdrawing from public participation in general. Relying upon these perspectives, we can consider participation as affected by two separate notions. The first is political cynicism, which can be considered as the degree of mistrust towards politics. The second is the involvement in social activities that can become a source of flow of consciousness for individuals, that psychologists consider as a contribute to personal wellbeing. We claim that Degrowth can successfully develop in our societies if it will be able to intercept people quitting traditional political participation. We propose a psychosocial description of people engaged in activism that can fruitfully enlighten such transition
Political engagement and well-being : theoretical and methodological suggestions
No full textSeveral studies show that the turnout decline occurring in various countries in latest years is largely linked with a generational factor, as younger generations abstain from voting more often than their peers in the past (Dalton, 2007; Miller & Shanks, 1996). Even though some authors consider such phenomenon counterbalanced by other civic behaviors (Zukin, Keeter, Andolina, Jenkins, & Delli Carpini, 2006), there is general agreement about disengagement from politics by young people. As civil society and social capital are considered as precious resources for the capability of democracy to keep healthy in the future (Putnam, 1993), to prevent such disengagement is a key goal.
Gardner, Csikszentmihalyi, & Damon (2001) define “good work” as an activity which is: -excellent in quality, referring to the standards applying to the field; -engaging for the practitioner, namely personally meaningful; -ethically carried out, hence socially valuable. A field allowing to develop this kind of good work is more likely to attract young apprentices. Referring to their definition, we suggest to apply such categories to political activities, to outline the characteristics of those cases which represent good politics, be them in a party or a movement. We suggest that such a practice is able to give optimal experience to the individual (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975/2000), therefore fostering her eudaimonic wellbeing (Ryan & Deci, 2001). This is in our view one of the main intrinsic rewards which strenghten the commitment to the activity itself. It would also result in nurturing trust in political actions in a broader sense, hence preventing Political Cynicism (Bobbio & Manganelli, 2010; Pattyn, Van Hiel, & Dhont, 2009).
From the theoretical background, data and methodological implications for measurement tools will be discussed
Good politics: enhancing the quality of participation
No full textEnhancing political participation is a central issue for current institutions, also to reverse the rising distrust in politics recorded in many countries. Moreover several studies highlight the shift from traditional forms of participation to civil society. Such phenomena support the idea that we can observe two distinct constructs in action. First the effect of political cynicism (PCY), which is the degree of mistrust towards politics. In second place the search of involvement in social activities: when adequately satisfied it is source of flow of consciousness (FC) for individuals, fostering their own wellbeing.
The aim of this study is to develop a method to monitor the psychological quality of political participation. We administered to 224 political activists a questionnaire including scales for PCY and FC and eighteen items describing important features to be held by “good politicians” (as resulting from thirteen interviews to national politics experts). The factor analysis highlighted three main components: engagement, success and competence. On the basis of such factors we performed the cluster analysis that led us to describe four groups of activists: technicians, pragmatists, idealists and cynics. These groups clarify which characteristics are most desirable in political participation in order to keep the political system healthy
The quality of politics. Consequences of political participation on the society
No full textEnhancing political participation is a central issue for current institutions, also to reverse the rising distrust in politics recorded in many countries. Moreover several studies highlight the shift from traditional forms of participation to civil society. Such phenomena support the idea that we can observe two distinct constructs in action. First the effect of political cynicism (PCY), which is the degree of mistrust towards politics. In second place the search of involvement in social activities: when adequately satisfied it is source of flow of consciousness (FC) for individuals, fostering their own wellbeing
Politicians as cultural selectors : favouring or discouraging youth participation
Full text linkAn evolutionary perspective can be applied to the analysis of cultural phenomena to describe
how inheritance mechanisms can account for the development of cultural traits in a given environment. This
paper aims to describe the psychosocial functioning of the political system from this perspective, focusing
on the role of politicians as cultural selectors. As they are in charge of legislation, politicians have a key role
in steering the evolution of cultural norms. In particular they play a leading part in determining access to
traditional forms of participation, such as parties. We interviewed a panel of political experts to explore the
selective mechanisms shaping the Italian political system. The results show that co-option is the main method
of selecting new members for parties, with the aim of keeping power within well-established structures. The
specific features of the Italian political environment explain its decreasing ability to attract young activists
From sustainable development to degrowth : Italian municipalities on the road to well-being
No full textGross Domestic Product (GDP) was created to measure a country’s economic performance, since it quantifies a flow of goods and money (Gadrey & Florence, 2005). In the course of time it has been implicitly inferred that GDP measures the progress of a nation and therefore citizens’ quality of life. To counter that assumption several alternative indexes have been proposed to integrate or to substitute GDP: the future goal is to create a set of indicators to monitor the progress of Society.
We suggest that objective measures have to be integrated with subjective indicators of wellbeing, considering also dimensions different from Subjective Well Being (SWB). SWB gained a main role as indicator of wellbeing tout court (Kahneman, Diener & Schwartz, 1999), even if it represents merely the hedonic aspect of wellbeing. In fact it takes into account only the satisfaction of desires that make life pleasant.
We propose to refer also to Eudaimonic wellbeing (Ryan & Deci, 2001; Ryff & Keyes, 1995), which promotes the full actualization of individual potentials (Inghilleri, 1999). The human flourishing (Fredrickson, 2001) and the attainment of wellbeing are not simply achieved by satisfying any individual desire; only being holistically engaged, intrinsically motivated (Csikszentmihalyi & Csikszentmihalyi, 1988) and related with the others can produce a personal growth.
The Eudaimonic wellbeing is antagonized by the materialism promoted by the consumerist model (Inghilleri, 2003). Furthermore Kasser (2006) describes the price that western societies have to pay for this way of living in terms of personal, social and ecological costs. In conformity with the criticism to the main western life style, Degrowth Theory (Latouche, 2004; 2007) proposes a series of principles aiming to foster equality, reduction of ecological footprint and social relations. Contrasting also with a model of Sustainable Development, that doesn’t question the economic model reigning nowadays, Degrowth highlights how a model of endless growth is not compatible with a closed system as our planet is (Georgescu-Roegen, 1977). The promotion of an Eudaimonic wellbeing and the respect for the environment converge in such a theory.
We focused on this cultural movement for various reasons: firstly it is a vital movement that attracts many social actors at several levels (NGO, public institutions, individuals); secondly it does not criticize the economy itself, but the use made of it nowadays. In fact Degrowth claims that the economy should not be used as a general system of representation of reality (Fournier, 2008); we suggest that the economy should be a tool for pursuing a better quality of life. The proposal of such cultural shift unveils the reification that the economy has undergone and offers the opportunity for an individual reflection, that can produce an increased self-awareness and personal growth. The capability to foster Eudaimonic wellbeing is the surplus value we recognize in respect to the paradigm of Sustainable Development.
Degrowth firstly appeared in France as a cultural movement and then spread into other countries. In Italy Degrowth became in 2007 one of the goals of the Virtuous Municipalities' Association (VMA), counting 30 Municipalities across Italy (www.comunivirtuosi.org); the aim of the Association is to carry out in each municipality a series of good practices in accordance to its Statute.
In this paper we focus on the Municipality of Mezzago (Milan), a single case study of a wider research conducted on the VMA (Inghilleri et al., 2008; Riva & Boffi, 2009).
A semi-structured interview was carried out with municipal officers inquiring how they are promoting (directly or indirectly) a set of personal characteristics -defined as "Strengths" and "Virtues" by Peterson & Seligman (2004)- found to be directly related with Eudaimonic wellbeing. In addition we run a focus group with municipal officers to understand values and processes that give birth to local projects. A Virtuous Municipality Data Sheet Analysis was created to monitor municipal activity and good practices. Eventually, in order to analyze citizens’ satisfaction with local government, we administered a questionnaire composed by 25 items referring to service satisfaction, environmental satisfaction, urban furniture, social opportunities and urban safety.
The results show that the municipal administration mainly reinforces the Strengths of Curiosity, Social Intelligence and Fairness carrying out projects to increase citizens’ awareness of social relations, environmental protection (in particular to limit land cover), consumption decrease and meaningful use of the time. The municipality carries out practices that could be an example for other similar contexts activating local resources without any institutional push. We suggest that the increasing number of municipalities that have joined the Association (from 4 to 30 municipalities in four years) shows the effectiveness of such practices in making citizenship flourish while answering local needs. For that reasons such initiatives should be encouraged.
In conclusion this case study remarks that an administration able to attain at the local level meaningful processes with grassroots participation provides several opportunities to increase citizens’ personal growth and life fulfilment. Those are the basic conditions to produce Eudaimonic wellbeing, whose measuring we should not ignore
Policy of de-growth to face Global Change : Virtuous Municipalities Association promoting sustainability and wellbeing in Italy
No full textIn conformity with the global concerns about climate change, environmental impacts, economic developments, human rights and consumerist life style, Degrowth Theory (Latouche, 2004; 2007) proposes a series of principles aiming to foster equality, reduce the ecological footprint and make social relations flourish. Contrasting with a model of never-ending development, Degrowth highlights how a model of endless growth is not compatible with a closed system as our planet is (Georgescu-Roegen, 1977).
This paper focuses on the spread of degrowth proposal into Italian politics and highlights the results that such proliferation entails. The research emphasizes the individual activity and explains the increasing of degrowth practices not as the result of institutional driving forces but as a consequence of single actions fostering all together a cultural change.
We focused on Virtuous Municipalities' Association (VMA), a network of several Italian municipalities that has been the first national association to adopt degrowth in Public Administration. Since 2007 the VMA officially refers to degrowth principles applying locally a decrease of consumptions, wastes and ecological footprint of the administrative establishment and promoting social relations, conviviality and citizens participation.
This case study analysis is led on primary data. We interviewed the representatives of each municipality belonging to VMA to investigate the effects of their policies; moreover, we run a focus group with the town councillors of Mezzago (Milan) to explore in detail how the political practice is applied.
The results show the efficacy of enacted policies in promoting social cohesion, environmental protection and citizens’ well-being, achieved by individual fulfilment and empowerment (Eudaimonic Well-Being). We point out the relevance of the latter result as the key element that enables politicians and citizens to persevere in their activities. This activism is promoted by psychological well-being, which is the result of intrinsic motivation that allows individuals to experience a state of self-determination and a sense of competence. In these terms, individuals mainly reproduce situations connected with their own well-being promotion.
Other results outline that the activity of the local administration is bound to stimulating and listening to citizens; this dialectic process recognizes a central role to the involvement of citizenship, promoting its role as an active actor. An example of good practices is the participated project addressed to reintroduce pink asparagus growing, a typical well known product of Mezzago, through establishing a cooperative society. This project provides agricultural land recovery, economical resources for the local farmers and the preservation of a symbolic value for the community identity. Ecological, economical and social aims are achieved limiting the consumption of territory and promoting mastery in the citizenship. We believe that the latest aspect is necessary to preserve social cohesion and cultural identity: it wouldn’t be possible using the land for maize intensive farming or residential zoning.
In conclusion, the spread of degrowth proposal into Italian politics is due to an individual process, characterized by self-empowerment and self-determination, and to an activation endorsed by the public administration. Such process reproduced in each municipality make the degrowth practices expand not only with reference to the local context but also on larger dimensions. Administrations and citizens foster new cultural elements coming from degrowth proposal and carry out a cultural change able to provide concrete answers to the global change. The openness toward society explains the effectiveness in creating a wide network starting from local actions and the achievement of a new model of sustainability for Public Administration
Less consumption more wellbeing : evidences from the policies of Italian Virtuous Municipalities’ Association
No full textDegrowth proposes a series of principles aiming to foster equality, social relations and the reduction of ecological footprint (Latouche, 2004, 2007; Flipo & Schneider, 2008). Contrasting also with a model of Sustainable Development, degrowth claims that the economy should not be used as a
general system of representation of reality (Fournier, 2008). The proposal of such cultural shift unveils the reification that the economy has undergone (Georgescu-Roegen, 1977) and offers the opportunity for an individual reflection that can produce an increased self-awareness and personal
growth. Indeed, Kasser (2006) describes from a psychological perspective the price that western societies have to pay for this way of living in terms of personal, social and ecological costs. In conformity with such criticism, Inghilleri (2003) claims that the materialism promoted by the consumerist model contrasts with the Eudaimonic wellbeing. The capability to foster Eudaimonic wellbeing is a further surplus value that we ascribe to degrowth and not to the paradigm of Sustainable Development.
In Italy two different networks promote degrowth: the Associazione per la Decrescita
(www.decrescita.it), more interested in discussing theoretical aspects and the association Movimento per la Decrescita Felice -MDF- (www.decrescitafelice.it), rooted in the society and proposing concrete actions of degrowth attracting social actors at several levels (NGO, public institutions, enterprises, individuals).
This paper focuses on the spread of degrowth proposal into Italian politics referring to Virtuous Municipalities' Association -VMA- (www.comunivirtuosi.org), a network of several Italian municipalities that since 2007 officially adopted policies of degrowth inspired by the MDF.
We analyzed territorial and political dimensions collecting data with sheets analysis and interviewing the representatives of each municipality belonging to VMA; moreover we run a focus
group with the town councillors of Mezzago (Milan).
The results of the interviews show the efficacy of enacted policies in promoting social cohesion, environmental protection and citizens’ wellbeing, achieved by individual fulfilment and empowerment (Eudaimonic Well-Being). These are the key elements that enable politicians and
citizens to persevere in their activities. This activism is also promoted by subjective wellbeing, which is the result of intrinsic motivation that allows individuals to experience a state of selfdetermination
and a sense of competence (Ryan & Deci, 2000).
Other results outline that the activity of the local administration is bound to stimulating and listening to citizens, promoting their active role.
In conclusion, the spread of degrowth proposal into Italian politics is due to an individual process, characterized by personal self-empowerment and self-determination, and to an activation endorsed
by the public administration. Municiaplities’ policies, while reducing products and energy consumption, foster social and individual wellbeing
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