On 14 August 2024, Magdalena Góra, Elodie Thevenin, and Katarzyna Zielińska (Jagiellonian University) presented their paper “Representing the Future? A Conceptual Framework for Assessing the Representation of the Youth by Young MPs”at the General Conference of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR), held at University College Dublin.
The paper investigates the democratic disconnect between young citizens and formal political institutions across the EU. Using a representative claims framework, the authors analyse whether and how young MPs in national and European parliaments substantively represent youth interests — going beyond symbolic presence to examine the content and direction of their advocacy.
The presentation included preliminary findings from the Polish parliament, highlighting patterns in how younger legislators frame youth issues and the extent to which they act as credible representatives of their generation.
This contribution aligns closely with REDIRECT’s core concerns around representation, inclusion, and political responsiveness. It also advances the project’s effort to examine underexplored dimensions of the representative relationship, particularly those shaped by age and intergenerational dynamics.
Date: 14 August 2024
Location: ECPR General Conference, University College Dublin, Ireland
Partner: Jagiellonian University (JUK)
Authors: Magdalena Góra, Elodie Thevenin, Katarzyna Zielińska
Type of event: Conference / Paper presentation
#YouthRepresentation #YoungMPs #DemocraticDisconnect #REDIRECT #ECPR2024