ABSTRACT
To deal with the challenges discussed in the previous chapters a fresh approach to study political participation is required. Instead of expanding available nominal or functional definitions, a “conceptual map” of participation is developed. Applying the map results in the depiction of five analytically unambiguous modes of political participation: a minimal definition based on the locus of the activities, two additional variants based on the target (politics/government/state or problems/community), and two based on circumstantial evidence (contextual and motivational). In this way, all definitions of participation are included in a set of decision rules systematically, efficiently, and consistently. Furthermore, the endless expansions are covered without excluding any form of political participation unknown yet. Advantages—and criticism—of this new approach are dealt with by running through the map a number of difficult cases of participation, such as social media participation and acts that are often derided as “slacktivism” or “clicktivism”. A table with conceptual arguments and evidence demonstrates how each one of those forms fits different definitions of participation.
