Suchergebnisse

HOW DOES THE EXPRESSED POLITICAL IDEOLOGY OF VOTERS INFLUENCE THEIR EVALUATION OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES? THE CLASSIC ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IS PROVIDED BY THE SPATIAL THEORY OF ELECTORAL CHOICE IN WHICH UTILITY FOR A CANDIDATE IS A FUNCTION OF THE PROXIMITY BETWEEN THE VOTER AND CANDIDATE POSITIONS ON THE LIBERAL-CONSERVATIVE CONTINUUM. THE AUTHORS HAVE ARGUED ELSEWHERE THAT SPATIAL THEORY, WHILE INTELLECTUALLY APPEALING, IS INADEQUATE AS AN EMPIRICAL MODEL OF MASS BEHAVIOR. THEY HAVE DEVELOPED A DIRECTIONAL THEORY OF ISSUE VOTING THAT WE BELIEVE PROVIDES A MORE REALISTIC ACCOUNTING O HOW SPECIFIC POLICY ISSUES INFLUENCE UTILITY FOR A CANDIDATE. DIRECTIONAL THEORY IS BASED ON THE VIEW THAT FOR MOST VOTERS ISSUES ARE UNDERSTOOD AS A DICHOTOMOUS CHOICE BETWEEN TWO ALTERNATIVE POSITIONS. WHILE IDEOLOGY IS WIDEL UNDERSTOOD AS A CONTINUUM OF POSITIONS, THE DIRECTIONAL MODEL CAN BE APPLIED TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IDEOLOGY AND CANDIDATE EVALUATION. IN THIS PAPER THEY COMPARE THE TOW THEORIES USING NATIONAL ELECTION STUDY DATA FROM 1972 TO 1988. THE RESULTS TEND TO FACTOR THE DIRECTIONAL MODEL OVER THE TRADITIONAL PROXIMITY MODEL. WE CONCLUDE BY BRIEFLY TRACING OUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS FINDING.

The way ordinary people talk about phenomena like crime reveals core images about victims, offenders, and the relationship between the two. Seeks to identify the varieties of response within the context of social control and social reproduction. (PAS)

THIS ARTICLE COMPARES TWO SPATIAL MODELS OF PARTY COMPETITION: (A) THE TRADITIONAL PROXIMITY MODEL AND (B) THE DIRECTIONAL MODEL OF VOTER CHOICE. THE ARTICLE FIRST LAYS OUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO MODELS IN MULTI-PARTY SYSTEMS. THE TRADITIONAL PROXIMITY MODEL MAKES NO CLEAR PREDICTION ABOUT THE SPATIAL STRUCTURE OF POLITICAL PARTIES: THE DIRECTIONAL MODEL PREDICTS THAT OPTIMAL PLACEMENT FOR PARTIES WILL BE ALONG THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF A CIRCLE AT A MODERATE DISTANCE FROM THE CENTER. BOTH THEORIES HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR OVERTIME STRATEGY AND THE SUCCESS OF NEW POLITICAL PARTIES. TRADITIONAL PROXIMITY THEORY EMPHASIZES THE MOVEMENT TOWARD A LOCATION WITH HIGH DENSITY OF VOTERS, WHILE DIRECTIONAL THEORY EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF A DISTINCT DIRECTIONAL STRATEGY. THE AUTHORS EXAMINE THE NORWEGIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM FROM 1969-1985 AND THE SWEDISH SYSTEM FROM 1979-1982 AND FIND THE DIRECTIONAL THEORY MORE STRONGLY SUPPORTED.

Many migrant groups, particularly those that are politically and economically marginalised, such as asylum seekers and refugees (ASRs), face inequities in access to health care as well as poorer physical and mental health outcomes. The role of post-arrival experiences in contributing to these inequities is increasingly being explored, and it is suggested that being a migrant is itself a determinant of health outcomes. Drawing on the theoretical concept of structural vulnerability, this paper explores ASRs' experiences of health, wellbeing, and health practices in the context of their lived realities in Scotland. 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted with ASRs from Sub-Saharan Africa between January and December 2015. Data were explored using thematic analysis. Experience of the UK asylum system, both alone and in conjunction with other sources of vulnerability including racism, poverty, and language barriers had a negative and ongoing impact on the physical and mental health of ASRs. These impacts continued, even once refugee status was obtained. Efforts to engage ASRs in preventive health programmes and practices must take into account the ways in which the asylum system acts as a determinant of health, affecting both what it means to be healthy and what capacity individuals have to engage with their health. Political choices in how the asylum process is enacted have far-reaching implications for individual and population health.

The experience of political parties in Norway from 1969 to 1985 and the Swedish system from 1979 to 1982 is used to test proximity and directional theory models of party competition. Directional theory has clear implications for the kind of system that ought to exist in multiparty democracies--of'moderate pluralism.' (SJK)