Suchergebnisse

Scholars have grappled with the question of how parties affect policy. Here I propose and test an instrumental variable approach using rainfall. In Norwegian municipal elections, potential left wing voters are likely to abstain from voting with election day rain, whereas the opposite holds for right-wingers. Then rainfall provides an exogenous source of variation, and hence an instrument, for the party composition of the municipal council. A strengthening of the right wing parties due to rainfall shifts expenditures toward education, but reduces total spending. This also shows that political competition does not drive party platforms to converge.

A key feature of the 21st century Middle East thus far has been the vertiginous rise and precipitate retreat of sectarian (Sunni-Shi'a) division as a dominant paradigm in contentious politics and international relations. Understanding these shifts yields important lessons regarding identity politics, state-society relations, regime-maintenance strategies, and inter-group relations.

Rain affects electoral turnout both through a direct effect on the cost of voting and by changing the opportunity cost. In a panel of Norwegian municipalities I find that rain on Election Day increases turnout. As turnout affects electoral outcomes, rain provides an exogeneous source of variation, and hence an instrument, for the party composition of the municipal council. I use this to estimate the causal effect of party composition on politics. I find that an increased share to left wing parties shift spending from education to kindergartens. Beyond this, there are few strong causal effects of political composition.

English
The renewal of local democracy was quickly established as a key priority by the Labour government in the UK following their election in May 1997, and this is seen as requiring an extension of democratic practice to foster more direct forms of participation. Traditional perspectives on the policy process embody a 'technocratic' conception of decision making which disempowers citizens. The expansion of 'instrumental rationality' in modern society has had profoundly anti-democratic implications, creating obstacles to citizen participation through the bureaucratisation of authority, professional and managerial power and expertise. 'Communicative rationality' provides an alternative basis for an institutional framework to promote effective citizen participation but genuine citizen empowerment is likely to require a radical approach which goes beyond institutional reform.

Despite its increasing importance in contemporary political philosophy and its central role in international human rights law, there has been significant resistance among political theorists and philosophers to the idea that there is a moral human right to democracy. This article argues that there are good grounds for thinking that there is a moral human right to democracy and that this does not impinge at all on the right of collective self-determination. The argument given here is fully instrumental, relying heavily on empirical studies that support the theses that (1) democracies are normally reliable protectors of certain very urgent and widely accepted human rights and (2) nondemocracies and partial democracies reliably fail to protect these rights. Adapted from the source document.

The nature of tradeoffs among jobs, economic growth, & environmental quality is examined. A case study of Wisc's innovative attempt for dealing with its air pollution problems provides important insights into why particular policy instruments are selected in balancing economic & environmental objectives. The analysis reveals that there is a marked tendency for the political process to resist market mechanisms for rationing scarce environmental resources. Different policy options are evaluated, & emerging themes in the policy process discussed. 1 Table, 24 References. Modified HA

The use of instrumental variables regression in political science has evolved from an obscure technique to a staple of the political science tool kit. Yet the surge of interest in the instrumental variables method has led to implementation of uneven quality. After providing a brief overview of the method and the assumptions on which it rests, we chart the ways in which these assumptions are invoked in practice in political science. We review more than 100 articles published in the American Journal of Political Science, the American Political Science Review, and World Politics over a 24-year span. We discuss in detail two noteworthy applications of instrumental variables regression, calling attention to the statistical assumptions that each invokes. The concluding section proposes reporting standards and provides a checklist for readers to consider as they evaluate applications of this method. Adapted from the source document.

The dominant approach in sociolegal studies assumes that people adhere to litigation for instrumental purposes. Here, the expressive character of litigation is stressed by invoking the concept of "consummatory action" as a conceptual framework for analyzing litigation as a form of affirmation of self & having a voice. Petitions (N = 557) made by Palestinian residents of the Israeli-occupied West Bank & Gaza Strip to Israel's High Court of Justice are examined. An analysis of the Court's record confirms the deep disbelief about petitioners' prospects of success in court. Cognitive processes & institutional configurations that nonetheless encourage Palestinians to litigate are explored, suggesting that the opportunity to be heard by the authorities & to be treated respectfully & according to fair legal procedures play a crucial role in the decision to litigate. 2 Tables, 38 References. Modified AA