Abstract

This chapter draws upon a range of ideas and debates and seeks to place these in the context of ‘political literacy’ as defined in the Crick Report: ‘… learning about and how to make themselves effective in public life through knowledge, skills and values…'. ‘Political literacy’ is therefore not simply concerned with describing or even analysing political institutions and government, but is about being able to have an input and being able to exercise rights and responsibilities.

Although, as noted elsewhere, the Crick Report (1998: 11) identified three main areas for ‘effective education for citizenship’ – social and moral responsibility, community involvement and political literacy – there is considerable overlap between concerns with ‘political literacy’ and
concerns with ‘active citizenship’, and, indeed, for many people there is little or no distinction to be made between the two. This chapter therefore inevitably draws upon ideas and debates from the wider agenda, although it seeks to place these in the context of ‘political literacy’ as defined in the Crick Report (1998: 13.