Exploring the Role of Democratic Institutions as Civic Learning Environments

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the development of a country into a “civically participatory learning society.” To this end, the study analyzed how democratic institutions of diverse qualitative dimensions function as learning environments in the process through which adults develop global citizenship. Using data from 66 countries participating in Wave 7 of the World Values Survey, a two-level multilevel model comprising individual and country levels was applied. The major findings are as follows. First, democratic institutions at the national level had significant effects on the formation of adults’ global citizenship, explaining approximately 6.6–15.0% of the country-level contextual variance, depending on the specific dimension of global citizenship. Second, countries and societies in which citizens’ voice is guaranteed at a high level were found to promote adult learners’ “openness to the world.” Third, democratic institutions increased trust in social minorities, such as immigrants, and played an important role in building an “inclusive society in which cultural diversity coexists.” These findings suggest that highly developed democratic institutions can function as an important learning environment that facilitates adults’ development of global citizenship. Based on these findings, this study discusses practical approaches to lifelong education for realizing a “civically participatory learning society.”