ABSTRACT
Downward trends in electoral participation, the decrease in organizational membership and survey data that signal waning trust in political institutions are prominent issues in public discourse in many established democracies. They are raised in various political arenas with different implications regarding their status on the political agenda. The spectrum ranges from individual statements by public officials to large-scale government-sponsored inquiries into the state of democracy, particularly in Scandinavian countries.1 Despite differences in agenda status, elite concerns about downward trends in political engagement share a common understanding in terms of democracy. The all-encompassing assumption is that it indicates that citizens are turning their backs on democracy and that this system of government is in crisis.2
