Welfare, nonprofit and technology effects on civic participation in eight EU nations

EasyChair Preprint 1426

Abstract

Civic participation reflects the effects of institutional agents. In this study we compare the effects of welfare allocations, nonprofit activity and internet communication technology (ICT) on civic participation in eight EU nations. Drawing upon the social welfare, social origins and media ecology perspectives, we contend that variations in a) welfare allocations b) nonprofit activity and c) ICT investments contribute to national level variations in civic participation in eight EU nations.

We inlcude information for a) welfare allocations in employment, housing, health, education; b) nonprofit activity in public and private support to social causes; and c) ICT investment in mobile and fixed broadband investments (OECD, 2014).

Combing three data sets (OECD, 2014) we show that (a) ICT investments facilitate civic participation (b) national level variations in welfare allocations and nonprofit activity affect civic participation less than ICT (c) type of welfare regime plays an intervening role in the link between civic participation and welfare allocations and nonprofit activity.  In social democratic regimes higher civic participation is congruent with education and mobile broadband, whereas in liberal regimes civic participation civic participation reflects the level of nonprofit activity and fixed broadband allocations.

Keyphrases: ICT allocations, civic participation, comparative, nonprofit allocations, social welfare allocations

@booklet{EasyChair:1426,
  author    = {Rita Mano},
  title     = {Welfare, nonprofit and technology effects on civic participation in eight EU nations},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 1426},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2019}}