Exploring Children's Suffrage: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Ageless Voting

Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
Chapter 1: Introduction: Children’s Suffrage Studies
	The Intellectual Context
	The Conversation Today
	The Present Volume
	References
Part I: Theoretical Frameworks
	Chapter 2: Silence Is Poison: Explaining and Curing Adult “Apathy”
		The Germ
		Metastasis
			Training for Incompetence
			Institutional Adultism
		The Cure
			The Small Picture: Empowered Individuals
			The Medium Picture: Effective Group Activism
			The Big Picture: Robust Democracy with a Strong Civil Society
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 3: How Low Can You Go? The Capacity to Vote Among Young Citizens
		Introduction
		Step 1: Lowering the Voting Age
		Austria
		Why Not Abandon Age Limits?
		The Question of Incapacity
		The Question of Capacity
		Abandoning the Voting Age
		The Benefits of Universal Enfranchisement
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 4: The Case for Children’s Voting
		Learning from History
		Deconstructing Voting Competence
		Reconstructing Democratic Societies
		Reimagining Democratic Theory
		Conclusion
		References
Part II: Historical Contexts
	Chapter 5: The Enfranchisement of Women Versus the Enfranchisement of Children
		Introduction
		They Are Not Competent
		They Don’t Want It
		They Don’t Need It
		They Are Better Off Without It
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 6: De-Colonizing Children’s Suffrage: Engagements with Dr B R Ambedkar’s Ideas on Democracy
		Brief Sketch About Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar
		What Is a Democracy?
		Who Is a Minority? Who Should be Allowed to Vote?
		Applying Ambedkar’s Ideas to Children
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 7: The Reform that Never Happened: A History of Children’s Suffrage Restrictions
		Introduction
		Background
		Historicising Suffrage Reforms
			Institutional Barriers: Change and Dependencies
			Policy Barriers: Child Rights, Democracy, and Youth Policy
		Political Barriers: Actors and Issues in the Centre and on the Periphery
		Concluding Discussion
		References
Part III: Practical Considerations
	Chapter 8: Generational Economics
		Politics and Social Choice Without Children
		Children and Generationality
		Positive Freedom and Low Fertility
		Children’s Poverty
		Investing in Children: Mill’s Dilemma
		The Rosmini-Vote Solution: Children’s Proxy-Vote
		What Italians Think About the Political Representation of Children and the Proxy-Vote
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 9: Legality of Age Restrictions on Voting: A Canadian Perspective
		History of the Franchise in Canada
		Voting Rights Litigation
		Impact of International Law and Experience
		Competent and Informed Voters
		Children’s Activism
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 10: A View from Paediatric Medicine: Competence, Best Interests, and Operational Pragmatism
		Introduction
		Societal Change
			Children in Society
			Recognition of Child Rights
			Child Rights within the Democratic Process
			Early Influences and the Consequences of Witholding the Vote from Children
		Insights from Paediatric Medicine
			The Development of the Speciality
			The Emergence of Competence
			The Best Interests of the Child
			Moving beyond Protectionism and Paternalism
			Lessons from Medical Research
			The Benefits of Encouraging the Development of Child Autonomy in Healthcare
		Operationalising a Child Vote
			The Distinction between the Right to Vote and Ability to Cast a Vote
			Proxy Votes
			Wider Benefits and Practical Considerations
		Conclusions
		References
Index