scholarly journals Landowners and Democracy

2017 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Albertus
Keyword(s):  
Land Reform ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
New Democracies ◽  
Democratic Deficit ◽  
Third Wave ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Support For Democracy ◽  
Democratic Stability ◽  
Extension Of Suffrage

Are large landowners, especially those engaged in labor-dependent agriculture, detrimental to democratization and the subsequent survival of democracy? This assumption is at the heart of both canonical and recent influential work on regime transition and durability. Using an original panel data set on the extent of labor-dependent agriculture in countries across the world since 1930, the author finds that labor-dependent agriculture was indeed historically bad for democratic stability and stunted the extension of suffrage, parliamentary independence, and free and fair elections. However, the negative influence of labor-dependent agriculture on democracy started to turn positive around the time of democracy's third wave. The dual threats of land reform and costly domestic insurgencies in that period—often with more potent consequences under dictators—plausibly prompted landowners to push for democracy with strong horizontal constraints and favorable institutions that could protect their property more reliably over the long term than could dictatorship. The shift in support for democracy by labor-dependent landowners is a major untold story of democracy's third wave and helps explain the persistent democratic deficit in many new democracies.

Shaping Democratic Practice and the Causes of Electoral Fraud: The Case of Nineteenth-Century Germany

2009 ◽  
Vol 103 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIEL ZIBLATT
Keyword(s):  
Social Power ◽  
Original Data ◽  
New Democracies ◽  
Parliamentary Election ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Electoral Fraud ◽  
Proximate Cause ◽  
Imperial Germany ◽  
The Empirical Analysis

Why is there so much alleged electoral fraud in new democracies? Most scholarship focuses on the proximate cause of electoral competition. This article proposes a different answer by constructing and analyzing an original data set drawn from the German parliament's own voluminous record of election disputes for every parliamentary election in the life of Imperial Germany (1871–1912) after its adoption of universal male suffrage in 1871. The article analyzes the election of over 5,000 parliamentary seats to identify where and why elections were disputed as a result of “election misconduct.” The empirical analysis demonstrates that electoral fraud's incidence is significantly related to a society's level of inequality in landholding, a major source of wealth, power, and prestige in this period. After weighing the importance of two different causal mechanisms, the article concludes that socioeconomic inequality, by making elections endogenous to preexisting social power, can be a major and underappreciated barrier to the long-term process of democratization evenafterthe “choice” of formally democratic rules.

scholarly journals Stable Support for Democracy in East and Southeast Asia? Examining Citizens’ Trust in Democratic Institutions

East Asia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlene Mauk
Keyword(s):  
Social Trust ◽  
Political Trust ◽  
Value Orientations ◽  
Performance Evaluations ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Liberal Democratic ◽  
Support For Democracy ◽  
East And Southeast Asia ◽  
Democratic Stability

AbstractRecent democratic regressions and crises suggest democracy is at risk across East and Southeast Asia. One of the factors that can determine democratic stability are citizens’ attitudes. While previous research has concentrated on support for democracy-in-principle, this contribution argues that it is political trust, i.e. support for democracy-in-practice, which is crucial for democratic stability. For democracies to be stable, political trust should be high as well as rooted in long-term factors like liberal democratic value orientations or social trust to protect it from short-term fluctuations following economic crises or political scandals. This contribution therefore examines not only the current levels and development of political trust but also whether it is influenced more by long-term factors (liberal democratic value orientations, social trust) or short-term factors (economic performance evaluations, incumbent support). The empirical analysis shows political trust in five East and Southeast Asian democracies (Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, Taiwan) to be mostly mediocre and primarily dependent on economic performance evaluations and incumbent support. Among the five democracies, citizens in Japan appear most resilient to democratic regressions; on the other hand, Taiwanese democracy seems least equipped to master future crises.

Configurations to Superior Environmental Innovation Strategy: A Both–And Approach

2021 ◽  
pp. 108602662110316
Author(s):  
Tiziana Russo-Spena ◽  
Nadia Di Paola ◽  
Aidan O’Driscoll
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Innovation Strategy ◽  
Environmental Innovation ◽  
Data Set

An effective climate change action involves the critical role that companies must play in assuring the long-term human and social well-being of future generations. In our study, we offer a more holistic, inclusive, both–and approach to the challenge of environmental innovation (EI) that uses a novel methodology to identify relevant configurations for firms engaging in a superior EI strategy. A conceptual framework is proposed that identifies six sets of driving characteristics of EI and two sets of beneficial outcomes, all inherently tensional. Our analysis utilizes a complementary rather than an oppositional point of view. A data set of 65 companies in the ICT value chain is analyzed via fuzzy-set comparative analysis (fsQCA) and a post-QCA procedure. The results reveal that achieving a superior EI strategy is possible in several scenarios. Specifically, after close examination, two main configuration groups emerge, referred to as technological environmental innovators and organizational environmental innovators.

EXPRESS: How Does Bonus Payment Affect the Demand for Auto Loans and Their Delinquency?

2021 ◽  
pp. 002224372110092
Author(s):  
Zhenling Jiang ◽  
Dennis J. Zhang ◽  
Tat Chan
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Products ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Financial Decisions ◽  
Consumer Panel ◽  
Loan Demand ◽  
Bonus Payments ◽  
Base Salary ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
Shed Light

This paper studies how receiving a bonus changes the consumers’ demand for auto loans and the risk of future delinquency. Unlike traditional consumer products, auto loans have a long-term impact on consumers’ financial state because of the monthly payment obligation. Using a large consumer panel data set of credit and employment information, the authors find that receiving a bonus increases auto loan demand by 21 percent. These loans, however, are associated with higher risk, as the delinquency rate increases by 18.5 −31.4 percent depending on different measures. In contrast, an increase in consumers’ base salary will increase the demand for auto loans but not the delinquency. By comparing consumers with bonuses with those without bonuses, the authors find that bonus payments lead to both demand expansion and demand shifting on auto loans. The empirical findings help shed light on how consumers make financial decisions and have important implications for financial institutions on when demand for auto loans and the associated risk arise.

scholarly journals Principals between exploitation and exploration: Results of a nationwide study on ambidexterity of school leaders

2020 ◽  
pp. 174114322094570
Author(s):  
Marcus Pietsch ◽  
Pierre Tulowitzki ◽  
Colin Cramer
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Environments ◽  
Management Research ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
Nationwide Study ◽  
Efficiency Control ◽  
Exploitation And Exploration ◽  
Discontinuous Innovation

Both organizational and management research suggest that schools and their leaders need to be ambidextrous to secure prosperity and long-term survival in dynamic environments characterized by competition and innovation. In this context, ambidexterity refers to the ability to simultaneously pursue exploitation and exploration and thus to deliver efficiency, control and incremental improvements while embracing flexibility, autonomy and discontinuous innovation. Using a unique, randomized and representative data set of N = 405 principals, we present findings on principals’ exploitation and exploration. The results indicate: (a) that principals engage far more often in exploitative than in explorative activities; (b) that exploitative activities in schools are executed at the expense of explorative activities; and (c) that explorative and ambidextrous activities of principals are positively associated with the (perceived) competition between schools. The study brings a novel perspective to educational research and demonstrates that applying the concept of ambidexterity has the potential to further our understanding of effective educational leadership and management.

scholarly journals Which triggers could support timely identification of primary antibody deficiency? A qualitative study using the patient perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisanne M. A. Janssen ◽  
Kim van den Akker ◽  
Mohamed A. Boussihmad ◽  
Esther de Vries
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Diagnostic Delay ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Primary Antibody ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Timely Treatment ◽  
The Way

Abstract Background Patients with predominantly (primary) antibody deficiencies (PADs) commonly develop recurrent respiratory infections which can lead to bronchiectasis, long-term morbidity and increased mortality. Recognizing symptoms and making a diagnosis is vital to enable timely treatment. Studies on disease presentation have mainly been conducted using medical files rather than direct contact with PAD patients. Our study aims to analyze how patients appraised their symptoms and which factors were involved in a decision to seek medical care. Methods 14 PAD-patients (11 women; median 44, range 16-68 years) were analyzed using semi-structured interviews until saturation of key emergent themes was achieved. Results Being always ill featured in all participant stories. Often from childhood onwards periods of illness were felt to be too numerous, too bad, too long-lasting, or antibiotics were always needed to get better. Recurrent or persistent respiratory infections were the main triggers for patients to seek care. All participants developed an extreme fatigue, described as a feeling of physical and mental exhaustion and thus an extreme burden on daily life that was not solved by taking rest. Despite this, participants tended to normalize their symptoms and carry on with usual activities. Non-immunologists, as well as patients, misattributed the presenting signs and symptoms to common, self-limiting illnesses or other ‘innocent’ explanations. Participants in a way understood the long diagnostic delay. They know that the disease is rare and that doctors have to cover a broad medical area. But they were more critical about the way the doctors communicate with them. They feel that doctors often don’t listen very well to their patients. The participants’ symptoms as well as the interpretation of these symptoms by their social environment and doctors had a major emotional impact on the participants and a negative influence on their future perspectives. Conclusions To timely identify PAD, ‘pattern recognition’ should not only focus on the medical ‘red flags’, but also on less differentiating symptoms, such as ‘being always ill’ and ‘worn out’ and the way patients cope with these problems. And, most important, making time to really listen to the patient remains the key.

The Limits of Meritocracy in Stabilizing Democracy and the Twin Importance of Bureaucratic Impartiality and Effectiveness

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
David Delfs Erbo Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Support For Democracy ◽  
Democratic Stability ◽  
Bureaucratic Behavior ◽  
Coups D'etat

Abstract Theories connecting meritocracy and democratic stability are heavily understudied, and there are few attempts to empirically disentangle the potential mechanisms. This article proposes a novel explanation, emphasizing that bureaucratic impartiality and effectiveness provide separate shields that stabilize democracies. Impartiality protects the opposition from unlawful discrimination, which raises support for democracy among the (potential) losers of elections and reduces the incentives to rebel or stage coups d’état, whereas effectiveness serves incumbent policies, which raises support among the (potential) winners and reduces the likelihood of incumbent takeovers. I find support for these propositions in comparative-historical analyses of a few paradigmatic cases—interwar Finland, Czechoslovakia, and Germany—with similar levels of economic development, imperial-autocratic legacies, and meritocratic types of administration but different regime outcomes. The results show that both impartial and effective bureaucratic behavior rather than meritocratic recruitment norms as such are important stabilizers of democracy. Yet they emphasize the importance of bureaucratic effectiveness in raising the perception that votes count to change outcomes on the ground and thus that democracy makes a difference. I argue that this should have a wider significance for the study of contemporary processes of democratic recession.

scholarly journals Statistically rigorous calculations do not support common input and long-term synchronization of motor-unit firings

2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 2729-2744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo J. De Luca ◽  
Joshua C. Kline
Keyword(s):  
Motor Unit ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Vastus Lateralis ◽  
Common Input ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Score Method ◽  
Surface Electromyographic Signal ◽  
Measure Synchronization

Over the past four decades, various methods have been implemented to measure synchronization of motor-unit firings. In this work, we provide evidence that prior reports of the existence of universal common inputs to all motoneurons and the presence of long-term synchronization are misleading, because they did not use sufficiently rigorous statistical tests to detect synchronization. We developed a statistically based method (SigMax) for computing synchronization and tested it with data from 17,736 motor-unit pairs containing 1,035,225 firing instances from the first dorsal interosseous and vastus lateralis muscles—a data set one order of magnitude greater than that reported in previous studies. Only firing data, obtained from surface electromyographic signal decomposition with >95% accuracy, were used in the study. The data were not subjectively selected in any manner. Because of the size of our data set and the statistical rigor inherent to SigMax, we have confidence that the synchronization values that we calculated provide an improved estimate of physiologically driven synchronization. Compared with three other commonly used techniques, ours revealed three types of discrepancies that result from failing to use sufficient statistical tests necessary to detect synchronization. 1) On average, the z-score method falsely detected synchronization at 16 separate latencies in each motor-unit pair. 2) The cumulative sum method missed one out of every four synchronization identifications found by SigMax. 3) The common input assumption method identified synchronization from 100% of motor-unit pairs studied. SigMax revealed that only 50% of motor-unit pairs actually manifested synchronization.

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