Runoff

Author(s):  
Cynthia McClintock

I examine the five nations where levels of democracy improved and runoff worked well. Runoff opened the political arena to new parties, enhanced presidential legitimacy, and/or enticed parties at extremes toward the center. The number of parties did not increase in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, or Uruguay and, although the number of parties was large in Brazil and Chile, two broad coalitions formed for presidential elections. This chapter first contrasts the negative effects of plurality and the positive effects of runoff in the country that is a model for runoff advocates: Uruguay. Next, it shows the negative effects of plurality in another country that adopted runoff during the third wave: the Dominican Republic. Then, the chapter turns to Brazil and Chile, where the advantages of runoff for both legitimacy and the incorporation of the left were very evident. Finally, I turn to El Salvador, where until 2014 the advantages of runoff were least apparent.

Author(s):  
Cynthia McClintock

This chapter describes plurality advocates’ arguments against runoff and reports the cross-national evidence for and against them. Plurality advocates’ concerns about outsiders and voter fatigue were not borne out. However, runoff advocates’ concerns about legitimacy deficits and ideological extremes under plurality were warranted. The chapter also confirms that runoff lowered barriers to entry—especially important in the Latin American context of inaccurate pre-election opinion polls. Although the entry of new parties was a factor in the larger number of parties and paucity of legislative majorities under runoff, it was also helpful due to the authoritarian proclivities of many long-standing Latin American parties and the need, after the Cold War, to incorporate the left into the political arena.


Author(s):  
Cynthia McClintock

During the third wave, like most democratizing countries worldwide, Latin American countries replaced plurality rules for presidential election with runoff rules. To date, most scholars fear the proliferation of political parties under runoff and favor plurality. I argue, however, that Latin American leaders were correct to adopt runoff. Runoff established a virtuous circle: amid lower barriers to entry, opposition parties and new parties held greater respect for the democratic process and this respect was in turn important to elites’ toleration of their entry. By contrast, plurality often facilitated political exclusion by long-standing dominant parties and exacerbated cynicism and polarization. Although the larger number of parties under runoff was problematic, and measures for the amelioration of the problem are important, the number of parties was considerable under plurality; runoff enabled democracies to cope, increasing the legitimacy of their elected presidents.


Author(s):  
Cynthia McClintock

Is there a “sweet spot” between openness to new parties and a plethora of parties that can be achieved through a reduced threshold for election to the presidency? Specifically, through a threshold between 40% and 50%? Unfortunately, although the evidence is not definitive, the answer appears to be: usually, no. Raising barriers to entry, a reduced threshold is disadvantageous if a cartel party or a party with an authoritarian past is strong, as in Argentina between 1983 and the present. Also, although in principle a reduced threshold raises barriers to entry, in practice—as in Ecuador between 2002 and 2006—it may not; the reasons for a larger or smaller number of parties are manifold. Further, a reduced threshold is risky. Although it voids runoffs that would have been unnecessary, it also voids runoffs that would have added presidential legitimacy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Keith

Abstract. The positive effects of goal setting on motivation and performance are among the most established findings of industrial–organizational psychology. Accordingly, goal setting is a common management technique. Lately, however, potential negative effects of goal-setting, for example, on unethical behavior, are increasingly being discussed. This research replicates and extends a laboratory experiment conducted in the United States. In one of three goal conditions (do-your-best goals, consistently high goals, increasingly high goals), 101 participants worked on a search task in five rounds. Half of them (transparency yes/no) were informed at the outset about goal development. We did not find the expected effects on unethical behavior but medium-to-large effects on subjective variables: Perceived fairness of goals and goal commitment were least favorable in the increasing-goal condition, particularly in later goal rounds. Results indicate that when designing goal-setting interventions, organizations may consider potential undesirable long-term effects.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 123-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffael Heiss ◽  
Jörg Matthes

Abstract. This study investigated the effects of politicians’ nonparticipatory and participatory Facebook posts on young people’s political efficacy – a key determinant of political participation. We employed an experimental design, using a sample of N = 125 high school students (15–20 years). Participants either saw a Facebook profile with no posts (control condition), nonparticipatory posts, or participatory posts. While nonparticipatory posts did not affect participants’ political efficacy, participatory posts exerted distinct effects. For those high in trait evaluations of the politician presented in the stimulus material or low in political cynicism, we found significant positive effects on external and collective efficacy. By contrast, for those low in trait evaluations or high in cynicism, we found significant negative effects on external and collective efficacy. We did not find any effects on internal efficacy. The importance of content-specific factors and individual predispositions in assessing the influence of social media use on participation is discussed.


2019 ◽  
pp. 59-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolai M. Svetlov ◽  
Renata G. Yanbykh ◽  
Dariya A. Loginova

In this paper, we assess the effects of agricultural state support of corporate farms on their revenues from agricultural production sales in 14 Russian regions that differ in technology, environment and institutional conditions. In addition to the direct effect of the state support, the indirect effects via labor and capital are revealed. For this purpose, we identify production functions and statistical models of production factors for each of these regions separately. We find out diverse effects of the state support on revenues among the regions. Positive effects prevail. Negative effects are mainly caused by labor reductions that follow subsidy inflows. Another cause of negative effects is the soft budget constraints phenomenon.


1970 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 17-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamal Singh ◽  
A. A. Khan ◽  
Iram Khan ◽  
Rose Rizvi ◽  
M. Saquib

Plant growth, yield, pigment and protein content of cow-pea were increased significantly at lower levels (20 and 40%) of fly ash but reverse was true at higher levels (80 and 100%). Soil amended by 60% fly ash could cause suppression in growth and yield in respect to 40% fly ash treated cow-pea plants but former was found at par with control (fly ash untreated plants). Maximum growth occurred in plants grown in soil amended with 40% fly ash. Nitrogen content of cow-pea was suppressed progressively in increasing levels of fly ash. Moreover,  Rhizobium leguminosarum  influenced the growth and yield positively but Meloidogyne javanica caused opposite effects particularly at 20 and 40% fly ash levels. The positive effects of R. leguminosarum were marked by M. javanica at initial levels. However, at 80 and 100% fly ash levels, the positive and negative effects of R. leguminosarum and/or M. javanica did not appear as insignificant difference persist among such treatments.Key words:  Meloidogyne javanica; Rhizobium leguminosarum; Fly ash; Growth; YieldDOI: 10.3126/eco.v17i0.4098Ecoprint An International Journal of Ecology Vol. 17, 2010 Page: 17-22 Uploaded date: 28 December, 2010  


Author(s):  
Cynthia McClintock

During Latin America’s third democratic wave, a majority of countries adopted a runoff rule for the election of the president. This book is the first rigorous assessment of the implications of runoff versus plurality for democracy in the region. Despite previous scholarly skepticism about runoff, it has been positive for Latin America, and could be for the United States also. Primarily through qualitative analysis for each Latin American country, I explore why runoff is superior to plurality. Runoff opens the political arena to new parties but at the same time ensures that the president does not suffer a legitimacy deficit and is not at an ideological extreme. By contrast, in a region in which undemocratic political parties are common, the continuation of these parties is abetted by plurality; political exclusion provoked disillusionment and facilitated the emergence of presidents at ideological extremes. In regression analysis, runoff was statistically significant to superior levels of democracy. Between 1990 and 2016, Freedom House and Varieties of Democracy scores plummeted in countries with plurality but improved in countries with runoff. Plurality advocates’ primary concern is the larger number of political parties under runoff. Although a larger number of parties was not significant to inferior levels of democracy, a plethora of parties is problematic, leading to a paucity of legislative majorities and inchoate parties. To ameliorate the problem, I recommend not reductions in the 50% threshold but the scheduling of the legislative election after the first round or thresholds for entry into the legislature.


Author(s):  
Svetlana Avdasheva ◽  
Tatiana Radchenko

Within the group of BRICS, China, Russia, and South Africa use conduct remedies more often than developed jurisdictions. Remedies are applied under merger approval or as an outcome of investigation of anticompetitive conducts. Effects of conduct remedies on companies’ decisions and market performance still need explanation. This chapter explains the use of conduct remedies, with special emphasis on Russia, by the specific position of BRICS in international division of labor, which allows the large companies, and first of all domestic ones, to discriminate customers in BRICS home markets, vis-à-vis international customers. Together with positive effects on domestic customers, competition economics predicts the possibility of negative effects of remedies on the managerial decisions within the target company. Under some circumstances, remedies may even weaken competition in the global product markets.


Author(s):  
Jovita Tan ◽  
Karl Andriessen

Background: Experiencing the death of a close person, especially in emerging adults and students, can have profound effects on the bereaved individual’s life. As most research in this field has focused on negative effects of a loss, little is known about potential positive effects experienced by bereaved university students. This study investigated the experience of grief and personal growth in a sample of students from The University of Melbourne, Australia. Methods: Semi-structured interviews via Zoom/telephone with bereaved students (n = 14), who were invited to reflect on their loss and any personal growth potentially experienced. Thematic analysis of the data was based on a deductive and inductive approach. Results: The analysis identified four themes: (i) sharing of grief as a coping mechanism, (ii) balance between grief reactions and moving forward in life, (iii) lessons learned and personal growth, and (iv) adopting values from the deceased person and continuing bonds. Conclusions: Participants emphasized personal growth regarding self-perception and philosophical views on life. Following the loss, they preferred peer support, and used formal services only when they had a specific need. The findings indicate the importance of social support for bereaved students, and the complimentary role of peer and professional support. Hence, academic institutions should offer supportive services tailored to both students and professionals to help bereaved students.


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