1. In Search of Intermediating Capacities – the Interplay of Civic Engagement and Institutionalised Politics.- Part I Framing the Interplay.- 2. Institutional Transformations of the Interplay of Civic Engagement and Institutional Politics.-3. Democratic Participation and Climate Politics: Notes on the Convention Citoyenne Pour Le Climat in France.-part II Intermediation – Lost and Found.-4. From a Good Beginning Towards a Dead End.-5. Struggling with Pillarised Clientelism: Civil Society and Institutional Politics in Poland.-part III Policy Arenas and Governance: Welfare, Health, Migration.-6. Mind the Gap Before the Bridge: On the Gaps and Barriers in Cross-sector Co-production With Vulnerable Citizens.-7. Health as a Public Concern: Revitalizing Civic Engagement in the German Health System Through Civic-minded Movements.-8. Enacting Voice Amongst Young Immigrants in a Precarious Legal Situation: Everyday Practices of Intermediation in a State-funded Civic Youth Project.- Part IV Intermediation – Tools and Challenges.-9. Giving Voice to Ordinary Citizens: Public Opinion Research as Intermediary Between People and Politics.-10. Disorganised Collective Citizens’ Interest, Social Transformations and Technopopulism”.-11. Intermediary Capacities of Elites in Swedish Civil Society.-12 Nonprofits’ Organizational Practices and Their Contributions to Communities and Democracy.

This volume focusses on the interplay of civic engagement and institutionalised politics and its role in both the erosion and retrieval of intermediate capabilities and procedures. Rather than discussing democracy as a relationship between citizens as individual voters and state power, the book studies the relationship between citizens engaged in or through organisations, movements and networks in civil society, and their impact in the context of institutionalised politics, be that through representative institutions and political parties or participation in administrative governance. The aim of this volume is to renew the scholarly discussion on the prospects of liberal democracy by looking for opportunities to curb antagonisms and instead strengthen intermediary capabilities. The book will therefore be of interest to students in relevant disciplines as political science, civil society research, sociology, and research on social movements. Adalbert Evers is Senior Fellow at the Centre for Social Investment and Innovation (CSI) Heidelberg University, Germany and has previously held the position of Professor for Comparative Health and Social Policy at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany. Johan von Essen is Professor in Worldview Research and Civil Society Studies at Center for Civil Society Research, Marie Cederschiöld University College, Sweden. Chapter 1 and Chapter 10 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.  

“This book explores the complexities and risks of civic engagement at a time when liberal democracies are severely challenged. Its focus on rethinking and reinventing the intermediary capabilities of democratic systems makes it a valuable resource for anyone interested in, and concerned about, the resilience of our current institutions.” (Taco Brandsen, Radboud University, The Netherlands) “The Interplay of Civic Engagement and Institutionalised Politics" is a valuable and timely collection that sheds light on the intricate and multi-faceted character of intermediate arenas and practices in modern European democracies. This significant, forward-thinking work showcases the importance of examining intermediate arenas and practices that exist between and within civic engagement and institutionalized politics, providing insight into how our societies balance the urgency of crises with the representation of citizens' needs and desires.” (Liv Egholm, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark)

Examines the interplay between civic engagement and institutionalized politics in European countries Challenges the retrieval of democracy by investigating the dynamic of intermediation between government and citizens Explores the political potential of civil society