Dissecting the Conservative Triumph in Wisconsin

2020 ◽  
pp. 29-52
Author(s):  
Alexander Hertel-Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Organizational Networks ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Us States ◽  
The Public ◽  
Full Control ◽  
Tax Cuts

After Republicans gained full control of Wisconsin government in 2011, they quickly enacted far-reaching retrenchments of the public sector, tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks, and—above all—bills curbing union rights. Republicans had barely mentioned the anti-labor measures on the campaign trail, and these steps were not popular. This chapter explains why such transformative policy changes happened anyway, through the efforts of interlocking conservative organizational networks previously installed in Wisconsin. The chapter sheds light on the roots and impact of similar right-wing organizational and activist networks at the heart of ongoing transformations across all fifty US states.

Fractious Greek coalition may last a year

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Foreign Investment ◽  
General Election ◽  
Coalition Government ◽  
Structural Reforms ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Face ◽  
Roll Back

Significance The Coalition of the Radical Left (Syriza) won the early general election on January 25 and formed a coalition government with a nationalist right-wing party, Independent Greeks (ANEL). The coalition will have the support of 162 members in the 300-seat parliament. The principal policies shared by the parties are to roll back the country's massive debt, which is equivalent to 175% of GDP, and to escape the foreign tutelage implied by the two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with Greece's creditors, which stipulate rigorous fiscal and structural reforms in exchange for 240 billion euros (272 billion dollars) in soft bailout loans. Impacts In the public sector, leftist supporters will clamour for jobs in the face of a Syriza platform commitment to introduce hirings on merit. Syriza says it will welcome foreign investment to help restore growth so that Greece can pay its own way and not have to borrow in future. If the takeover of office goes smoothly, Syriza's victory could boost left-of-centre parties in the forthcoming UK and Spanish elections.

Political Representation and its Mechanisms: A Dynamic Left–Right Approach for the United Kingdom, 1976–2006

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 835-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armen Hakhverdian
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Weak Link ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
Policy Position ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Public Preferences ◽  
The Public ◽  
Dynamic Representation ◽  
The United Kingdom

Some scholars use the ‘dynamic representation’ approach to test how much current policy changes reflect past public preferences. This article tests hypotheses derived from this approach in a left–right context for the United Kingdom from 1976 to 2006. This shows that government policy on the left–right scale shifts as public preferences change (‘rational anticipation’). Secondly, a public with right-wing preferences elects the Conservatives, who pursue right-wing policies in office (‘electoral turnover’). However, popular incumbents are less likely to adjust their policy position to the public. The Westminster system is criticized for its weak link between the rulers and the ruled, but dynamic representation on the left–right scale in the United Kingdom seems to have functioned admirably in this period.

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