Using two different data sources--municipal level data and individual data--we consider several hitherto unexplored aspects of the relationship between voting technology and election outcomes. We distinguish between introductory and permanent effects of electronic voting, and between national and municipal elections. We test for a possible asymmetry between the effect of moving from paper ballots to electronic voting, and vice versa, and we control for polling station density. We find a positive but temporary effect of electronic voting on voter turnout, a negative effect on the fraction of residual votes, and no effect on the share of left wing parties. Adapted from the source document.
AbstractRecent discussions of urban governance have emphasized a trend towards the 'entrepreneurialization' of local politics. This model has been intensively discussed and well documented. However, although this concept has been well tested in economically prosperous locations, less attention has been paid to the situation in marginalized regions characterized by a weak economy and a declining population. Taking eastern Germany as an example of a socio‐economic context marked by deindustrialization and population decline, the article discusses three main aspects of local governance arrangements under such conditions. First 'coping with decline' has become a more important issue in local politics than 'entrepreneurial' growth‐strategies. Second, successful public–private coalition‐building is severely complicated. Third, local politics are more dependent on resources from the national government than on private investment, lending greater significance to the national level and resulting in 'grant coalitions' rather than 'growth coalitions'. The article focuses on these different experiences and discusses their implications for the analysis of urban governance.Résumé De récentes discussions sur la gouvernance urbaine ont mis en évidence une tendance 'entrepreneuriale' de la politique locale. Ce modèle a été largement analysé et documenté. Toutefois, même si ce concept a été mis à l'épreuve sur des sites d'économie prospère, on s'est moins intéresséà la situation dans des régions marginalisées caractérisées par une économie faible et une population en déclin. Prenant l'Allemagne de l'Est comme exemple de contexte socio‐économique marqué par la désindustrialisation et le déclin démographique, l'article y examine trois grands aspects des dispositifs de gouvernance locale. Premièrement, 'gérer le déclin' est devenu une priorité de la politique locale plus prégnante que les stratégies de croissance 'entrepreneuriales'. Deuxièmement, les coalitions public‐privé performantes sont extrêmement difficiles à constituer. Troisièmement, la politique locale dépend davantage des ressources gouvernementales nationales que de l'investissement privé, ce qui confère une prédominance au niveau national et génère des 'coalitions de subventionnement' au lieu de 'coalitions de croissance'. En s'intéressant à ces différentes expériences, l'article examine leurs implications dans l'analyse de la gouvernance urbaine.
The present article discusses the consequences of the 2008 Gaza war for the national Palestinian movement Hamas. Discussed are the Palestinian national tensions and the challenges and possibilities in this context for both Hamas and the international community. Furthermore: the possible reaction of Palestinian resistance; possibilities for an internal Palestinian reconciliation and potential future scenarios. O. van Zilj
This article analyses the role of local political forces and strategies in Jordan vis-a-vis the global agenda of poverty reduction. It argues that the development of poverty reduction policy, a new field of political intervention in Jordan since the 1990s, signifies the increased relevance of the global concept of poverty alleviation, which aims to target the poorest of the poor, helping them to help themselves. This global concept is being translated into the local political context, where it is articulated within the established Jordanian model of the paternalistic provider state. The emerging forms of social policy reflect the efforts of various groups who aim to have their strategies inscribed into the state's apparatuses, as well as attempts from above to integrate politically relevant groups in symbolic and material terms and control those (socio-)political groups regarded as a potential risk to political stability. Adapted from the source document.
