The Role of Youth Parliaments in Recruiting the Political Elite: Symbolic Participation or Real Opportunities?

Abstract

This article examines the dualistic role of youth parliaments in the political elite recruitment process, interrogating whether these institutions function as genuine pathways for youth integration into power structures or merely serve as symbolic instruments legitimizing existing political hierarchies. Youth parliaments are positioned as institutions that represent the interests of youth at the level of government structures and promote the inclusion of representatives of the younger generation in the political processes of the country. The role of youth parliaments in the recruitment process of the political elite remains the subject of much debate. The study aims to assess the effectiveness of youth parliaments as a mechanism for recruiting young people to the political elite using the example of the Youth Parliament at the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg. The tasks include the analysis of regulatory legal acts, the study of career trajectories of “graduates” of the youth parliament. The research methodology combines the study of regulatory documents, biographical analysis and a case-study. The result of the study was a demonstration of the role of youth parliaments in the process of youth integration into the political system of the state and society. The key conclusion is that youth parliaments today provide real opportunities for building a political career, serve as a social elevator and an important step up the career ladder in the political sphere for the most active and interested youth.