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Measuring Participation: Development and Validation the Participatory Behaviors Scale

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Abstract

Studies of political and civic engagement have revealed that different types of participatory behaviors exist. Relying on Ekman and Amnå’s (Human Aff 22(3):283–300, 2012) participation typology, we developed a new measure, the Participatory Behaviors Scale (PBS), to analyze four dimensions of participation: formal political participation, activism, civil participation and disengagement. As proposed by Ekman and Amnå, disengagement is a genuine and active style of participation. A study was conducted on a sample of community residents (N = 566) to examine the statistical validity and psychometric properties of the PBS. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the second-order factor structure of PBS (composed of four first-order factors, i.e., disengagement, civil participation, formal political participation and activism) produced the most satisfactory fit indexes. The reliability and validity of the scale were verified. The scale was then tested on a second sample of voters. The methodological and theoretical implications are discussed, and further developments are outlined.

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  1. Department of History, Society and Human Studies, University of Salento, via Stampacchia 45, 73100, Lecce, Italy

    Cosimo Talò & Terri Mannarini

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  1. Cosimo Talò
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  2. Terri Mannarini
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Correspondence to Cosimo Talò.

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Talò, C., Mannarini, T. Measuring Participation: Development and Validation the Participatory Behaviors Scale. Soc Indic Res 123, 799–816 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0761-0

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