31 The triangulation between citizen formation, youth citizen political simulations with capabilities approach and participatory democracy theory participation and democratic development

The presentpaper addresses the triangular relation between citizen formation, youth citizen participation and democratic development, as consecutive phases of a process. The concepts are analyzed in the study case of political simulations; how these phases manifest in the simulations, using the participatory democracy theory lead by Carole Pateman and the capabilities approach by Amartya Sen. The paper is presented in the following parts: The first part develops the participatory democracy theory lead by Pateman, but also including authors like Held followed by conceptualization of citizen participation and youth citizen participation, specifying the particularities of the last one and why is relevant to the triangulation of concepts. The second part develops the citizen formation concept with the capabilities approach of Sen, and critical pedagogy authors like Freire. The third part describes the concept of development and democratic development followed by the link with citizen formation, and youth citizen participation to finish with the study case of political simulations in countries like US &México, (including conceptualization of this term) where the triangulation of the concepts manifest in reality. To conclude; the idea of these three phases as parts of a development process is remarked: citizen formation – youth citizen participation – democratic development and the importance for stakeholders to consider.