scholarly journals Invalid Ballots and Electoral Competition

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gani Aldashev ◽  
Giovanni Mastrobuoni
Keyword(s):  
Electoral Competition ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Electoral Fraud ◽  
Parliamentary Elections ◽  
Electoral Outcome ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Rational Allocation ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
High Share

In close elections, a sufficiently high share of invalid ballots—if driven by voter mistakes or electoral fraud—can jeopardize the electoral outcome. We study how the closeness of electoral race relates to the share of invalid ballots, under the traditional paper-ballot hand-counted voting technology. Using a large micro-level data set from the Italian parliamentary elections in 1994–2001, we find a strong robust negative relationship between the margin of victory of the leading candidate over the nearest rival and the share of invalid ballots. We argue that this relationship is not driven by voter mistakes, protest, or electoral fraud. The explanation that garners most support is that of rational allocation of effort by election officers and party representatives, with higher rates ofdetectionof invalid ballots in close elections.

Econometric Approaches

2021 ◽  
pp. 177-190
Author(s):  
Elvira Silva ◽  
Spiro E. Stefanou ◽  
Alfons Oude Lansink
Keyword(s):  
Reduced Form ◽  
Productivity Change ◽  
Productivity Measurement ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Cost Inefficiency ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Primal And Dual ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Efficiency And Productivity

Econometric approaches provide another avenue to implementing the frameworks and concepts of dynamic efficiency and productivity measurement. This chapter addresses both structural and reduced-form econometric approaches to estimating the dynamic directional distance function directly as well as to estimating the cost function that accommodates technical inefficiency. An application to a farm-level panel data set is presented that estimates the decomposition of dynamic cost inefficiency into technical and allocative inefficiency measures presented in Chapter 4 and then determines the components of primal and dual Luenberger total factor productivity change based on the elaboration of these concepts in Chapter 5. In addition to the discussion of empirical issues, this chapter provides an empirical illustration using micro-level data.

Rural Democracy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Harding
Keyword(s):  
Voting Behavior ◽  
Electoral Competition ◽  
Electoral Fraud ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Education Outcomes ◽  
Public Opinion Surveys ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Theoretical Mechanism

How have African rulers responded to the introduction of democratic electoral competition? Despite the broadly negative picture painted by the prevailing focus on electoral fraud, clientelism, and ethnic conflict, Rural Democracy argues that the full story is somewhat more promising. While these unfortunate practices may be widespread, African rulers also seek to win votes through the provision and distribution of public goods and services. The central argument in Rural Democracy is that in predominantly rural countries the introduction of competitive elections leads governments to implement pro-rural policies, in order to win the votes of the rural majority. As a result, across much of Africa the benefits of democratic electoral competition have accrued primarily in terms of rural development. This broad claim is supported by cross-national evidence, both from public opinion surveys and from individual level data on health and education outcomes. The argument’s core assumptions about voting behavior are supported with quantitative evidence from Ghana, and qualitative historical evidence from Botswana provides further support for the underlying theoretical mechanism. Taken together, this body of evidence provides reasons to be optimistic about the operation of electoral accountability in Africa. African governments are responding to the accountability structures provided by electoral competition; in that sense, democracy in Africa is working.

House price and household consumption in China: evidence from micro-level data

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 475-501
Author(s):  
Xiaojun Yuan ◽  
Yinjie Shen ◽  
Haigang Zhou
Keyword(s):  
House Prices ◽  
House Price ◽  
Household Consumption ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Chinese Housing Market ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to identify how house price affects household consumption. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a micro-level data set that tracks the house price and consumption of a vast number of households over a period of four years. OLS regression is the main econometric method. Findings The authors document robust evidence that an increase in house prices stimulates household consumption, regardless of whether a household owns or rents. Moreover, the authors find that both acquiring and losing homeownership negatively affects household consumption. Further investigation suggests significant regional heterogeneity in the relationship between house prices and household consumption. Originality/value This is one of the first studies examining the relationship between house price and household consumption in China using micro-level data. Given the uniqueness of the Chinese housing market and China’s fast-growing consumption rate, the study contributes new evidence to the long-lasting debate.

Integrative Data Analysis from a Unifying Research Synthesis Perspective

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun-Young Mun ◽  
Anne E. Ray
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Research Synthesis ◽  
Alcohol Intervention ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Integrative Data Analysis ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Model Complex ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Individual Participant

Integrative data analysis (IDA) is a promising new approach in psychological research and has been well received in the field of alcohol research. This chapter provides a larger unifying research synthesis framework for IDA. Major advantages of IDA of individual participant-level data include better and more flexible ways to examine subgroups, model complex relationships, deal with methodological and clinical heterogeneity, and examine infrequently occurring behaviors. However, between-study heterogeneity in measures, designs, and samples and systematic study-level missing data are significant barriers to IDA and, more broadly, to large-scale research synthesis. Based on the authors’ experience working on the Project INTEGRATE data set, which combined individual participant-level data from 24 independent college brief alcohol intervention studies, it is also recognized that IDA investigations require a wide range of expertise and considerable resources and that some minimum standards for reporting IDA studies may be needed to improve transparency and quality of evidence.

Engagement Through the Diaspora Channel

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. Danielson
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Statistical Models ◽  
State Level ◽  
The State ◽  
Multivariate Statistical ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Municipal Level

The first empirical task is to identify the characteristics of municipalities which US-based migrants have come together to support financially. Using a nationwide, municipal-level data set compiled by the author, the chapter estimates several multivariate statistical models to compare municipalities that did not benefit from the 3x1 Program for Migrants with those that did, and seeks to explain variation in the number and value of 3x1 projects. The analysis shows that migrants are more likely to contribute where migrant civil society has become more deeply institutionalized at the state level and in places with longer histories as migrant-sending places. Furthermore, the results suggest that political factors are at play, as projects have disproportionately benefited states and municipalities where the PAN had a stronger presence, with fewer occurring elsewhere.

The Optimal Diversification Strategy in Pharmaceutical Industry: Balance-centred or Hetero-centred?

2021 ◽  
pp. 097172182110056
Author(s):  
Keungoui Kim ◽  
Junseok Hwang ◽  
Sungdo Jung ◽  
Eungdo Kim
Keyword(s):  
Business Performance ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Product Diversification ◽  
Diversification Strategy ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Pharmaceutical Firms ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Market Product ◽  
High Uncertainty

Due to high uncertainty of product development and business environment, firm-level diversification has been regarded as one of the most effective methods in pharmaceutical firms. In previous study, firm-level diversification was discussed by different value chains of market, product, and technology. However, in most cases, the diversification itself was adopted in a simple manner although its property contains different aspects and the results varies depending on the diversity property of selected index. In addition, the existing approach for measuring firm’s product/market diversification using sales information distinguished by standard industry classification cannot provide direct implication as different strategies are made for market and product diversification. Therefore, this study examines the effects of firm-level diversification on business and innovation performances in pharmaceutical firms by considering (1) three diversification types: market, product, and technology, (2) clear separation between market and product diversification, and (3) two diversification perspectives: balance-centred and hetero-centred. For empirical analysis, an integrated firm-level data set combining from Medtrack, Orange Book, Compustat and Total Patent database is used. From the result, in case of market diversification, less market heterogeneity causes significant influence on business performance. For product and technology, a concentrated and greater heterogeneity of product diversification are turned out to promote business performance, while the more intensive and heterogeneous technology diversification has been shown to improve innovation performance.

Religion and aggregate support for redistribution

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mads Meier Jæger
Keyword(s):  
Church Attendance ◽  
Religious Denomination ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Aggregated Data ◽  
International Social Survey Programme ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
High Share ◽  
International Social

Aggregated data on regions within countries have been used to analyze the effect of religion and religiosity on aggregate support for redistribution. The data are from the International Social Survey Programme and a panel data set was constructed at the level of regions that were observed several times over the period 1985–2010. Empirical analyses show that a higher share of Catholics within a region has a positive effect on aggregate support for redistribution; a higher share of Protestants has a negative effect; religiosity (measured by church attendance) has no effect; and the effect of a religious denomination is non-linear and depends on whether or not it has a weak or a strong presence in a region. It was also found that Scandinavia is unusual in combining a high share of Protestants with high aggregate support for redistribution.

Going Abroad: Transnational Solicitation and Contention by Ethnopolitical Organizations

2014 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 945-978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Asal ◽  
Justin Conrad ◽  
Peter White
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Organizational Behavior ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
Political Movements ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Organization Level ◽  
Foreign State ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Minorities At Risk

AbstractExisting literature on contentious political movements has generally focused on domestic political activity. Using the new Minorities at Risk Organizational Behavior–Middle East data set (MAROB-ME), which contains organization-level data for 104 ethnopolitical organizations in the Middle East and North Africa, we analyze the decision of both violent and nonviolent organizations to engage in political activity transnationally. Among the results, we find that diaspora support is associated with transnational nonviolent protest, whereas foreign state support and domestic repression increase the use of transnational violence. The most robust finding, however, is that participation in the domestic electoral process consistently reduces the likelihood that an organization will engage in any political activity abroad.

scholarly journals Active versus passive academic networking: evidence from micro-level data

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajeev K. Goel ◽  
Christoph Grimpe
Keyword(s):  
Level Data ◽  
Micro Level
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