Introduction : citizenship, participation and democracy in an era of crisis / Thomas Poguntke, Sigrid Rossteutscher, Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck, and Sonja Zmperli -- Democratic institutions and citizen beliefs about democracy : How do they interact? / Max Kaase -- What's gone wrong with democracy, or with theories explaining why it has? / Jacques Thomassen -- When representation fails : behavioural reactions to perceived failure of political representation in France and Germany / Oscar W. Gabriel -- Mass media and political trust in Europe : testing for "rainmaker" effects / Sonja Zmerli, Kenneth Newton and Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck -- The dynamics of good citizenship norms / M. Kent Kennings -- Early conditions of political participation and civic integration of immigrant-children / Hartmut Esser -- Political socialization and inequality : the role of primary schools / Simone Abendschön and Sigrid Rossteutscher -- Much ado about something? : demand- and supply-side participation in a dysfunctional democratic market / William A. Maloney -- Living in different worlds? : left-wing parties and trade unions / Thomas Poguntke -- Is digitally networked participation a form of political participation? / Yannis Theocharis -- Citizen engagement and acting in the interest of citizens in the EU / Beate Kohler-Koch -- Representative vs. direct democracy in Germany : a contribution to an ongoing debate / Franz Urban Pappi -- Democratic citizenship under challenge / Thomas Poguntke, Sigrid Rossteutscher, Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck and Sonja Zmerli