Recent Publications

Since the last ten or so years participatory and direct democracy is a topic in many European countries and even on EU level. (See the information on the European Citizens Consultations project in Politeia Newsletter April 2007.) For a variety of reasons representative democracy is under pressure in many political systems and on all political levels. Manifestations of this phenomenon are declining membership figures of political parties, declining figures of turnout especially at local, regional and European elections, the growth of political movements and parties either at the extreme right or extreme left of the political spectrum and, at least in some countries, serious problems with the formation of cabinets and in some cases loss of political legitimation of authorities or even the political system.

Read more....

There are some interesting publications by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions:

• 23/10/2007 - Consultation procedures within European states
  The 250 page study assesses the systems for consultation between central governments and the national associations of local and regional government. It covers 35 European countries, and explains the state, the degree of decentralisation, the territorial organisation and the consultation procedures relating to national and European policy and legislation. [available in English and French].
• 23/10/2007 - Twinning for tomorrow's world
  The practical handbook gives an overview of town twinning activities in Europe and in the world. It features example of good practices on various issues such as citizenship, social inclusion, sustainable development or local economic development. It also indicates which countries may participate in the community programme "Europe for Citizens" and how to apply. The handbook is available in English and French.

• Bruno Kaufmann with Diana Wallis, Jo Leinen, Carsten Berg and Paul Carline (eds.) Initiative for Europe –a Roadmap for transnational Democracy. IRI Europe Handbook 2007 on the prospects for the development of citizens´ initiative tools across Europe after the failure of the EU constitutional treaty (Brussels: Initiative & Referendum Institute Europe, 2006) .

For more information, see: http://www.iri-europe.org/.

• Pointers to active citizenship in education policies (Brussels: Eurydice European Unit, 2006).

This publication looks at the main components of citizenship education in primary and secondary education in 30 European countries. It reviews the aims and content of the curriculum, recommendations on the active participation of pupils in school life and how citizenship education is addressed in teacher training.
For online publication in pdf file see: http://www.eurydice.org/ressources/eurydice/pdf/0_integral/079EN.pdf
Read more....

• CRELL report presents the Active Citizenship Composite Indicator (ACCI) for 19 European countries. ACCI is based on the framework proposed by the project "Active Citizenship for Democracy" and combines 63 basic indicators coming from the European Social Survey.

For online publication see:
http://crell.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ActiveCitizenship/AC-Final%20Report-December%202006/measuring%20AC.pdf

• B. Hoskins, H. Williamson (eds.), Charting the Landscape of European Youth Voluntary Activities (Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing, 2006).

Published in Newsletter 44 - February 2007

• Teaching Integrity to Youth. Examples from 11 countries (Berlin: Transparency International, 2004)

A collection of eleven anti-corruption educational initiatives prepared by National Chapters of Transparency International and other organizations involved in anti-corruption issues and education.

• Citizenship Education at School in Europe (Brussels: Eurydice European Unit, 2005)

The book is based on a Eurydice (the information network on education in Europe) report on citizenship education in Europe. It shows different approaches to the term, different school curricula, compares education of teachers, methods of students assessment and the European dimension in civic education in respective countries.

• Joerg Forbring (ed.), Revising Youth Political Participation (Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing, 2005)

The book is addressed to teachers, learners and policy makers engaged in youth public participation. It consists of historical and sociological analysis of youth involvement in citizenship activities in Europe.

• Reflections on the Future of Democracy in Europe (Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing, 2005)

A collection of contributions prepared for a conference ‘The future of democracy in Europe’ in Barcelona in 2004, concerning challenges and opportunities facing contemporary democratic governments. The debate identified main types of changes necessary to make governments more accountable and to enhance incentives for citizens to participate in decision-making process.

• Paul Black, Chris Harrison, Clare Lee, Bethan Marshall and Dylan Wi, Assessment for Learning: Putting It into Practice (Berkshire: Open University Press, 2003)

The book is based on a two-year project involving teachers and shows that development of formative assessment raises students’ test scores. It describes specific practices of giving feedback to students, which teachers found fruitful and shows some problems that they encountered when implementing formative assessment in their classroom.

Published in Politeia Newsletter 41 - March 2006