Depoliticisation, Governance and Political Participation

This article critically examines the linkages between the literatures on depoliticisation, governance and political participation. To do so, it is divided into three substantive sections. The first section critiques Flinders and Wood's article which introduces this edited volume. Subsequently, the second section examines the links between forms of depoliticisation and modes of governance, arguing that a metagovernance approach allows the best understanding of the 'evidence' for depoliticisation. The final section then considers the changing nature of political participation, arguing that we are witnessing both depoliticisation and repoliticisation, and that it is crucial to recognise and respond to each of these processes.