Citizenry

Needs and democracy

Abstract

Since before the English sociologist Thomas Humphrey Marshall (1965), but especially after him, the production on the conceptualization of citizenship is so broad and rich that it seems very difficult to pretend to contribute something new. Simply in issue 5 of this same journal (August-November 2010) entitled "Citizen participation and construction of citizenship" we can find interesting reflections in the 14 articles from the various approaches addressed by their authors. In the literature there are all kinds of approaches from different disciplines, documentary and field research, theoretical developments, government experiences, laws and regulations, documents from international organizations, political discourses, in short; there is so much and there is such a consensus on the various benefits of having a responsible and active citizenship, that what seems to be missing is to ask why there is still no firm decision to build it in all areas and levels, from non-formal and informal education, to public policies proposed to eradicate poverty.