New Books in Political Science Joe Greenwood-Hau," Capital, Privilege and Political Participation" (Liverpool UP, 2025)
Nov 26, 2025
In this discussion, Joe Greenwood-Hau, a Lecturer at the University of Glasgow and author of Capital, Privilege and Political Participation, delves into the intricacies of political engagement. He explores how social, economic, and cultural capital influence who participates in politics and who gets left out. Joe examines unearned privilege and how it manifests in societal structures. He also emphasizes the importance of social networks in fostering participation, suggesting interventions like civic education to bridge political inequalities.
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Early Political Roots Spark Research
- Joe Greenwood-Hau grew up in a deeply political household and later worked in campaigning organizations, which sparked his research question about who volunteers for campaigns.
- He noticed campaign teams lacked time to investigate why certain people participate and wanted to create space to answer that question.
Broad Definition Of Participation
- Greenwood-Hau defines political participation broadly across six categories beyond voting, including individualized, contacting, collective, charitable, volunteering, and donating acts.
- He frames participation as attempts to change or conserve elements of society via organizations or independent acts like petitions.
Privilege As Unearned Structural Position
- He treats privilege as unearned structural advantages tied to demographics like gender, ethnicity, disability, and sexuality.
- Economic, social and cultural capital both reflect and reproduce these structural privileges across generations.
