📄 Paper Presentation – The Representative Disconnect of Urban Youth | Thessaloniki, Greece | August 28, 2025 🇬🇷

At the ECPR General Conference 2025, hosted by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Kevin Meyvaert and Eline Severs (Vrije Universiteit Brussels) presented their paper:

“The Representative Disconnect of Urban Youth: What Young People in the Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Neighborhoods of Brussels Expect from Their Political Representatives.”

🔎 About the Study:

Based on six focus group discussions (2024) with young people (18–30) from socio-economically disadvantaged and ethnically diverse neighborhoods of Brussels, this paper investigates:

  • How youth perceive political representation

  • When and by whom they feel represented

  • How they define meaningful representation

📌 Key Insights:

  • Strong tensions emerge between substantive and descriptive representation

  • Many young participants express a preference for descriptive representatives who reflect their backgrounds

  • Widespread disaffection and feelings of misrepresentation mark their relationship with politics

🌍 By situating these perspectives within broader urban challenges, the study sheds light on the democratic aspirations and anxieties of marginalized youth in Europe’s cities.

📍 Location: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

📅 Date: August 28, 2025

🤝 Partner: Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB)

#YouthRepresentation #PoliticalDisaffection #UrbanDemocracy #DescriptiveRepresentation #Brussels