Higher education students as political actors: evidence from England and Ireland

Abstract

Higher education (HE) students have often been viewed as important political actors in wider society, stemming largely from their activities in the 1960s. Nevertheless, like much of the literature on youth political participation, research has rarely explored the extent to which student political participation varies across nation-states. This article begins to redress this gap by drawing upon data collected from focus groups with undergraduate students in England and Ireland, alongside an analysis of relevant policy documents from both countries. Overall, we argue that, whilst English and Irish students expressed similar desires to be politically active, they differed in the extent to which they felt empowered to take up such roles and the perceived scope of their influence. Similar differences were evident, to some extent, in the way in which students' political activity was seen by policymakers. These cross-national differences are explained with reference to contextual factors and, in particular, variation in the degree of HE marketisation in the two countries. There is also evidence to suggest that students are sensitive to the way in which they are constructed in policy, which affects their sense of themselves as political actors. ARTICLE HISTORY

Does university have an effect on young people’s active citizenship in England?

“…It does not only prepare a citizen to vote but also helps them with 'reasoned and deliberative decision making' (27). Also, it is argued that the liberalising and politicising effect of university occurs through a process of mixing with people from various backgrounds and perspectives, being open-minded and engaging in a variety of topics (Abrahams and Brooks 2018). Glaeser et al (2007) argue that education socialises young people and political engagement is one form of socialisation; therefore, education raises political or civic participation.…”

Students as political actors? Similarities and differences across six European nations

“…Whereas in most countries students tended to talk about being focused on only education-related issues (e.g. in relation to proposals to introduce or increase tuition fees, the structure of degree programmes and the time allowed to complete one's degree), in Ireland students were engaged in a broader range of social issues, including campaigns to introduce same-sex marriage and reform the abortion laws (Abrahams and Brooks, 2019). Here, the local socio-political context appears important-in Ireland, the campaigns for social reform have very successfully engaged the national students' union as well as young people more generally.…”

“…Here, the English focus group participants noted that they had taken action in the recent past (referring to protests over the substantial increase in tuition fees that came into effect in 2012), but asserted that the government had never listened to them as a group. They also believed that politicians tended to infantilise them which, they claimed, had the effect of limiting their political efficacy (see also Abrahams and Brooks, 2019). In Spain, however, students tended to think that it was the media that took this view:

I think they [media] ridicule the capacity of the political actor, of the student as a political actor … that they infantilise, ‘Poor little thing’.

…”

“…For example, a very positive speech about the value and contribution of the Union of Students in Ireland (the national body representing students) given by the then Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan (O’Sullivan, 2015) can be contrasted with the scepticism about students’ unions in England articulated within various government documents and speeches (e.g. BIS, 2015, 2016) (see Abrahams and Brooks, 2019 for further discussion of this point). With respect to the media, while Spanish participants thought the student voice was largely misrepresented by newspapers and TV (see evidence above), their counterparts in Denmark held a more positive view.…”

“…Indeed, current sociological literature has argued that marketised HEIs often constrain student political engagement by encouraging them to behave as 'consumers'-focussing on only a narrow range of education-related issues (e.g. Abrahams and Brooks, 2019). Studies of students' unions have also indicated that, in some countries, such groups have become less activist in nature and more likely to serve narrow managerialist agendas (Brooks et al, 2015a;Nissen and Hayward, 2017).…”