Rethinking the sources of participation: A case study of Spain

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse the reasons which lead individuals to engage in participation in Spain. We put forth two different generally accepted models of participation, defined in terms of the political and cultural practices associated with them. The first refers to participation in organized or corporate groups, whereas the second refers to non-institutionalized individual participation. The aim is to understand the factors that support one or the other model in order to gain insight into contemporary problems regarding citizen participation, and open new horizons in this field. Our conclusion suggests reciprocity between conventional and non-conventional participation practices, that is, that they mutually reinforce one another, even though the latter better support the civic values expected from participation and democracy