TY - BOOK ID - 125563635 TI - Political Participation and Sustainability: Exploring Contemporary Challenges PY - 2021 PB - Basel, Switzerland MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute DB - UniCat KW - Technology: general issues KW - deliberation KW - future generations KW - future design KW - political participation KW - citizen engagement KW - political institutions KW - sustainability KW - participation KW - digitalization KW - local government KW - innovation KW - mixed deliberation KW - referendums KW - municipal mergers KW - democratic sustainability KW - social trust KW - political trust KW - political efficacy KW - citizens’ juries KW - natural experiment KW - opinion change KW - windfarms KW - Scotland KW - deliberative mini-publics KW - democratic innovations KW - public opinion KW - participatory budgeting KW - ecology KW - local level KW - citizens KW - support KW - Romania KW - citizens’ assemblies KW - climate change KW - decarbonization KW - agenda setting KW - deliberative democracy KW - mini-publics KW - environmental politics UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:125563635 AB - Over the last two decades, the literature on political participation has flourished, reflecting the increasing use of diverse modes of citizen involvement. These include established modes of participation, such as voting, protests, mass demonstrations, and petition signing, but also newer modes specific to the online environment (ICT-related), participation in referendums, public consultations, or engagement in political deliberation. The importance and intensity of these modes is reflected both in the number of people getting involved and in the increasing number of policies that are subject to various modes of participation on a regular basis. There is extensive literature about how these modes of participation function, why people get involved, and the consequences of their participation. However, limited attention is paid to the relationship between political participation and the pursuit of sustainability at a local, regional, or central level. Existing studies indicate that citizen engagement can be a cost-effective method to characterize changes of local environments; however, not much is known beyond this process. This Special Issue aims to address this void in the literature and brings together contributions that analyze how participation can be associated with sustainability and local development in various settings. It explores the relationship between political participation and the management of their local environment. This Special Issue enhances the existing knowledge and understanding about how modes of participation can be reflected in stronger sustainability. The Special Issue provides the space for an academic debate that addresses issues such as climate change, resource allocation, or the pursuit of sustainability programs and policies. The contributions include a mix of single-case studies and comparative analyses across European countries. ER -