Chile primary results leave presidential contest open

Significance In both votes, the frontrunners for the November presidential election were defeated by younger candidates from outside Chile’s traditional political establishment. By eliminating the more extreme candidates, the primaries have reduced uncertainty by narrowing the policy space in which the presidential election will be fought. Impacts The result of the primaries is a major blow for the Communist Party and its bid to capitalise on social discontent. Both Boric and Sichel will face the challenge of appealing to the centre, without losing core voters to more radical options. The COVID-19 pandemic, currently in abeyance, is likely to regain force as the Delta variant arrives and could affect November's election.

Subject Prospects for Russian politics in 2022. Significance Now that the Kremlin has dealt with the immediate domestic policy priorities of constitutional change and parliamentary elections, 2022 will be a year of consolidation and continuity. The administration's focus will be on preparing what it regards as optimal, stable conditions for the presidential election in 2024. The Communist Party has a chance to build popularity among anti-government voters, but may not be bold enough given the Kremlin's limited tolerance for rebellious behaviour.


Significance Turnout was low, but President Vladimir Putin and other officials have dismissed the significance of this. The new parliament will contain the same parties as its predecessor: United Russia, the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) and Just Russia. The liberal opposition failed to increase its low level of support. United Russia's success is a victory for Dmitry Medvedev, whose position as prime minister seems more secure than before. Impacts United Russia's three-quarters Duma majority will simplify the passage of constitutional amendments. This power may be used after the 2018 presidential election to remove limits on Putin's terms in office. The 50% of new Duma members who represent constituencies are liable to lobby for local interests. The low turnout suggests opposition-minded voters are demoralised or apathetic.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Youliang Yan ◽  
Xixiong Xu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether and how affiliation with the government-controlled business association, namely, China Federation of Industry and Commerce (CFIC), affects corporate philanthropy in an emerging market. Design/methodology/approach Through an analysis of survey data gathered from Chinese private firms, this paper conducts multiple regressions to examine the impact of the CFIC membership on corporate philanthropy. Findings Empirical results show that the CFIC membership of private entrepreneurs is significantly positively associated with corporate philanthropy. Moreover, this study finds that the provincial marketization level and the firm Communist Party branch attenuate the positive association between CFIC membership and corporate philanthropy, indicating that the effect of CFIC on corporate philanthropy is more pronounced in regions with lower marketization level and firms without Communist Party branch. The findings are robust to various alternate measures of corporate philanthropy and remain valid after controlling for potential endogeneity. Practical implications Firms will be more active in corporate philanthropy to respond to the government’s governance appeal when they join the CFIC. This highlights the implications of political connections and in particular on the value of government-controlled business associations in the Chinese business world. Originality/value This study extends the literature on the determinants of corporate philanthropy and deepens the theoretical understanding of the governance role of business association with Chinese characteristics.


2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-142
Author(s):  
Alicia Kubas

Purpose Since the 2016 presidential election, hyper-partisanship has become a regular facet of the political landscape with Democrats and Republicans in increasing conflict. The purpose of this paper is to determine if perception of government sources related to trust and credibility has changed since the 2016 election and if the experiences and strategies of librarians who teach or consult about government information has changed in response to this environment. Design/methodology/approach A 24-question survey was distributed to garner qualitative and quantitative responses from librarians who teach or consult about government information in an academic environment. A total of 122 responses were used for analysis. Findings Academic librarians are seeing more concern from patrons about disappearing online government information and wider distrust of government information. Librarians also noticed that the political leanings of students color their perspective around government sources and that librarians also need to keep their political beliefs in check. Respondents emphasized a need for more government literacy and information literacy topics when discussing evaluation of government sources. Research limitations/implications The data collection only included responses from academic librarians. Further research could include in-depth interviews and look at experiences in various library types. Originality/value With the timeliness of this topic, there has not been an in-depth investigation into how the Trump administration has changed user trust and perception of government sources from the librarian’s point of view. This paper continues the conversation about how librarians can address the growing distrust of government information and give us insight into the effects of a turbulent political climate on government sources.


Significance Delhi and Hanoi declared a ‘strategic partnership’ in 2007 and a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’ in 2016. Each is wary of China’s growing power. Impacts Election of new leaders at the Communist Party of Vietnam’s upcoming national congress will have little impact on Hanoi’s foreign policy. India will resist calls to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Cambodia and Laos will remain the two ASEAN members most closely aligned with China.


Significance Both elections reflected deepening splits within the two parties. The Democratic primary pitched the party’s establishment against its progressive wing, while the Republican race was a test of the weight carried by former President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Ohio’s political environment also makes the two results significant. Impacts Failure to win Trump’s endorsement will not stop other Republicans from running on local issues in upcoming primaries. Ohio’s 18 votes in the Electoral College will make it an important battleground again in the 2024 presidential election. Despite the state’s rightward shift in 2016 and 2020, Democrats are likely to contest it fiercely in both 2022 and 2024.


Significance It is arguably the most important political event in Chile since the 1988 referendum that led to the restoration of democracy after the 1973-90 Pinochet dictatorship. Impacts In the presidential election, a growing generational cleavage emerged as a new feature of Chilean politics. Financial markets, which initially reacted negatively to Boric’s election, will be looking closely at his choice of finance minister. Chile’s likely economic situation in 2022 and 2023 does not look propitious for Boric’s proposed fiscally expensive reforms.


Significance At the same time, the June 18 presidential election campaign is beginning, with top judge Ibrahim Raisi registering as a favoured candidate. Heading a high-profile anti-corruption campaign, Raisi has been a strong advocate of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s ‘resistance economy’ policy to undermine sanctions by supporting domestic production. Impacts Effective legislation to manage conflicts of interest, including of officials’ family members, will likely remain blocked. Local business interests that would benefit from more global links may have a strong voice even under a conservative government. The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps will keep a firm grip on the infrastructure sector.


Significance Neither of the two coalitions that have governed since the restoration of democracy in 1990 seems likely to form the next government, marking the beginning of a new and probably less stable period. The new government taking office in March will have to grapple, at least initially, with slow growth and higher inflation as well as conflicting demands for change and stability. Impacts Traditional party loyalties have been undermined by a new stability-versus-change cleavage which will complicate governability. The introduction in 2017 of a more proportional voting system for legislative elections has prompted the rise of new parties. Boric’s attempts to expand into the centre will come up against the presence of the Communist Party in his coalition.


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 41-49
Author(s):  
Jonathan Brookfield

Purpose To chart the influence of politics on the future of China’s economy this article draws on the insights of four experts to delineate a range of possibilities. Design/methodology/approach To better understand the factors at work the author considers the logic and research undergirding four experts’ different views of the unfolding interplay of China’s politics and its economy. Findings The four vies of China’s political and economic future: (1) A post-democratic future: Eric Li, a venture capitalist, is optimistic that today’s Chinese Communist Party can successfully meet the country’s challenges going forward. (2) China’s trapped transition: Minxin Pei, a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College, worries that political inertia may be coupled with an extended period of economic stagnation. (3) Reform, innovation and growth: Yasheng Huang, a professor of global ei8conomics and management at MIT with deep knowledge of China’s economy and Chinese business, is relatively optimistic, seeing political reform as a potential springboard for continued economic dynamism. (4) The coming Communist Party crackup: David Shambaugh, a professor of international affairs and director of the China policy program at George Washington University, suggests the increasing possibility of a coup and worries about the potential political and economic turmoil associated with such an action. Practical implications To really take advantage of its R&D investments, China needs a stronger market-based economic system, a more open and democratic political system, and a rule-based legal system that offers strong intellectual property protection. Originality/value The diverse set of possibilities for China’s political and economic future provide executives with a guide for interpreting current events as they play out.


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