Meaningful Youth Participation in Local Democracy: A fsQCA Study of Initiatives in the Netherlands

Abstract

Despite growing emphasis on youth participation in democratic processes, this is mainly on formal participation (like voting or party membership). Little is known about what enables meaningful organizational youth participation, which is the more active involvement of young people in decision-making processes. This thesis investigates which combinations of demographic, institutional, and contextual factors lead to meaningful organizational youth participation in local youth initiatives in the Netherlands, taking the Local Collective network as a case study Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Hart’s Ladder of Youth Participation, the study defines meaningful participation as youth having real influence in decision-making processes while experiencing autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Data were collected through online surveys completed by 20 youth initiatives in the Local Collective network, with each initiative reporting on its participatory experience as a group. Subsequently, this data was combined with existing municipal statistics on urbanization and unemployment. Using fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), the study finds that municipal support – specifically, a helpful contact person – is a necessary condition for meaningful participation. However, no other factor alone was decisive. For both the presence and absence of meaningful youth participation, different combinations of conditions – such as age, education, gender diversity, funding, and context – emerged. Interestingly, some groups achieved meaningful youth participation despite challenges, while others with more resources struggled when municipal support was missing. These findings reveal the complex, context- dependent nature of youth participation and underscore the value of fsQCA in this field. Practical insights are offered for developing more meaningful local youth participation.