Analysing the gap in non-institutionalized political engagement between Western Europe and the post-communist region

This article aims to contribute to the debate on the persistent gap in political engagement between Western European (WE) and post-communist Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. The present analysis focuses on the case of non-institutionalized political engagement. Based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, it is argued that the perception of social injustice is one reason this gap between WE and CEE still exists. Based on grievance theory and the concept of relative deprivation, the article posits that perceptions of injustice motivate non-institutionalized political engagement in WE countries but very little in countries of the CEE region.