What Has Political Psychology to Offer Regarding Democratic Citizenship?
What Has Political Psychology to Offer Regarding Democratic Citizenship?
A large body of psychological research on citizen competence has resoundingly suggested that citizens are ill-equipped to meet the demands of sound democratic decision making. This chapter challenges this view, arguing that democratic politics presents a wide array of challenges, each demanding different civic skills. In particular, it contends that it is necessary to embrace a more agonistic view of democratic politics — one that places citizens at the center of a conflict over power and resources. Drawing broadly on interdisciplinary evidence, the chapter argues that citizens are actually quite adept at meeting the challenges of self-governance in the democratic polity.
Keywords: political psychology, democratic citizenship, civic engagement, political participation, political conflict
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