The Encyclopaedia of European Elections provides readers with a full set of tools to understand one of the most fascinating acts of democratic participation in contemporary Western Europe. Leading scholars from a range of disciplines cover an extensive variety of topics, from the genesis of European elections to the behaviour of young voters via the role of the media, and from the various legal and electoral systems used to the impact of the elections on European identity via the evolution of turnout between 1979 and 2004. The volume also includes entries on each country, each political party group in the European Parliament, and over 140 political, historical, sociological, philosophical, and legal aspects of the elections.

This book is concerned with the contexts, nature and quality of the participation of young people in European democratic life. The authors understand democracy broadly as both institutional politics and civic cultures, and a wide range of methods are used to analyse and assess youth participation and attitudes.