Youth Public Organizations as a Political Actor

Abstract

The purpose of this scientific article is to determine the characteristics of youth socio-political organizations that act as an actor in public policy. The authors established the arachaism of the approach that differentiates youth associations according to the territorial criterion. The article analyzes such a significant feature as the influence of youth organizations on political processes, including the processes of making government decisions. Conclusions. In the political science sense, a youth organization as a participant in political relations at the domestic or international levels has certain properties. The authors refer to them as: representing the interests of youth groups; availability of a resource base; participation in political communication; the desire to influence government decisions. But the differences between youth organizations are limited to the scale of influence and to the subject of political relations. The authors state that the presence or absence of resources is not a determining criterion for the recognition of a public organization as an actor of public policy. In this interpretation, the ability of a public association to formulate and express its own interests, and not the implementation of the will of another political actor (for example, a political party or state), acquires significance.