The Tail Wagging the Dog? Top-down and Bottom-up Explanations for Bureaucratic Appointments in Authoritarian Regimes

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Burkhardt ◽  
Alexander Libman
Keyword(s):  
Central Government ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
Political Regimes ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Self Selection ◽  
Democratic Country ◽  
Selection Of

The paper investigates the link between the sub-national variation of political regimes in a (at the federal level) non-democratic country and the appointments of federal officials in the sub-national provinces. In particular, we look at the appointment of the chief federal inspectors to the regions in Putin’s Russia in 2000–2012. Our main research question is whether appointment patterns can be explained by top-down concerns of the central government willing to keep control over the most unruly regions or by bottom-up self-selection of bureaucrats belonging to influential groups into more attractive positions more suitable for rent-seeking. The advantage of our case is that data we have at hand allow us to distinguish these two logics. Our results indicate that for the Russian chief federal inspectors in 2000–2012 bottom-up self-selection appears to be the more plausible explanation of the link between sub-national political regimes and appointment patterns.

scholarly journals Top-down or bottom-up? The selection of shadow rapporteurs in the European Parliament

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 706-727
Author(s):  
Frank M Häge ◽  
Nils Ringe
Keyword(s):  
European Parliament ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Principal Agent Theory ◽  
Policy Positions ◽  
Competing Demands ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Selection Of

Shadow rapporteurs play an important role in developing the European Parliament’s collective policy positions and in defending them in inter-institutional negotiations. This study sheds light on the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of shadow rapporteur selection. Qualitative insights from practitioner interviews and a quantitative analysis of shadow rapporteur data from the 7th European Parliament (2009–2014) indicate that the appointment process is primarily one of bottom-up self-selection by group members based on their policy interests. The party group leadership, in the form of group coordinators, plays an important coordinating role when there is competition for a shadow rapporteurship. However, the role of group coordinators is more akin to a third-party arbiter of competing demands than a mechanism of top-down control by the leadership, as suggested by principal-agent theory.

scholarly journals Prioritizing selection of new elements: Bottom-up versus top-down control

2003 ◽  
Vol 65 (8) ◽  
pp. 1231-1242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mieke Donk ◽  
Jan Theeuwes
Keyword(s):  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Selection Of

scholarly journals Histone sample preparation for bottom-up mass spectrometry: a roadmap to informed decisions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Daled ◽  
Sander Willems ◽  
Bart Van Puyvelde ◽  
Laura Corveleyn ◽  
Sigrid Verhelst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Sample Preparation ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Stable Gene ◽  
Assessment Procedure ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Genome Complexity ◽  
Arginine Residues ◽  
Multicellular Organisms ◽  
Selection Of

Histone-based chromatin organization enabled eukaryotic genome complexity. This epigenetic control mechanism allowed for the differentiation of stable gene-expression and thus the very existence of multicellular organisms. This existential role in biology makes histones one of the most complexly modified molecules in the biotic world, which makes these key regulators notoriously hard to analyze. We here provide a roadmap to enable fast and informed selection of a bottom-up mass spectrometry sample preparation protocol that matches a specific research question. We therefore propose a two-step assessment procedure: (i) visualization of the coverage that is attained for a given workflow and (ii) direct alignment-between-runs to assess potential pitfalls at the ion level. To illustrate the applicability, we compare four different sample preparation protocols, while adding a new enzyme to the toolbox, i.e., RgpB (GingisREX, Genovis), an endoproteinase that selectively and efficiently cleaves at the c-terminal end of arginine residues.

scholarly journals An Empirical Analysis of Financially Distressed Italian Companies

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Luca Sensini
Keyword(s):  
Financial Distress ◽  
Default Risk ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Balance Sheet ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Industrial Firms ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Financial Indices ◽  
Selection Of

<p>This paper investigates the performance of forecasting models for default risk referring to the annual balance sheet information of Italian firms. One of the main issues in bankruptcy predictions is related to the selection of the best set of indicators. Therefore, our main research question concerns the identification of the determinants of corporate financial distress, comparing the performance of innovative selection techniques. Furthermore, several aspects related to the default risk analysis have been considered, namely the nature of the numerical information and the sample design. The proposed models take in consideration the above-mentioned issues and the empirical results, elaborated on a data set of financial indices expressly derived from annual reports of the industrial firms. These reports provide evidence in favor of our proposal over the traditional ones.</p>

scholarly journals Top-Down or Bottom-Up: Approaches for Addressing Land Degradation in Swaziland and Botswana

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josh Baller
Keyword(s):  
Land Tenure ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Participatory Approach ◽  
Political Organization ◽  
Central Administration ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Political Background ◽  
Democratic Country ◽  
Land Tenure Systems

The strategies taken by a particular government are largely based upon their socio-cultural and political background. This paper will examine two countries that, while sharing regional proximity and similar conditions surrounding land degradation, have drastically different forms of governance: Swaziland and Botswana. We will examine the problem of land degradation in these countries generally and what aspects of socio-political organization in each country have affected the rate and severity of the problem. This paper will highlight the policy paths taken by Swaziland and Botswana and examine the irony of their methods. Despite Swaziland’s central administration and land tenure systems, they have adopted a more participatory approach to addressing land degradation compared to Botswana, a democratic country.

scholarly journals Management and Leadership in Serbian Terminology Work

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Jelena Andjelkovic ◽  
Jelena Filipović
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Management Model ◽  
Language Management ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Standard Language ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Subject Field ◽  
Policy And Planning

Research question: This paper studies the roles of Terminology Leadership (Filipovic 2012, 2015; Filipovic & Vuco, 2012; Filipovic & Djordan, 2018) and Terminology Management model (Jernudd & Neustupný, 1987, 1991; Jernudd 1993, 1997 in Antia, 2000, p.3; Spolsky, 2004, 2009, 2012) in the implementation of terminology policy and planning in Serbia, and the sustainable development of Serbian scientific and technical terminology. Motivation: As in almost all standard-language cultures (Quirk,1990), the Serbian language policy is top-down oriented, i.e., it follows the language management model. In this model, all decisions regarding the language, including terminology decisions, are made by linguists - language planners, without taking into account the opinions of professional and academic communities, i.e., the primary creators and users of terminology. Newer European terminology guidelines, especially the widely accepted UNESCO Guidelines for Terminological Policies (2005, p.3), however, propose that terminology work should be approached both top-down, i.e., on the level of political decision-making (following the terminology management model), and bottom-up, i.e., on the level of professional associations and other terminology stakeholders (following the complementary model of terminology leadership). Idea: The idea behind this paper is to investigate to what extent the terminology leadership model and the bottom-up orientation in the Serbian terminology policy and planning are recognized and accepted by various groups of stakeholders in comparison with the dominant language management model. Data: The data regarding the perspectives of two groups of terminology stakeholders (technical translators and professional / academic community) towards the state of the Serbian subject-field terminology and terminology management were collected, analyzed, interpreted and compared. Tools: The data were collected through two surveys on terminology work (Andjelkovic, 2018). While the first survey focuses on translators’ perspective on terminology management, the second survey examines the attitude of the academic community towards the terminology state of their own subject field: management. Findings: The surveys’ results confirm that both groups of terminology stakeholders recognise the importance of collaborative and cooperative work of linguists and subject field specialists in terminology policy making, planning and implementation, and thus do not regard linguists (i.e., language planners) as exclusive language and terminology decision-makers. The results also indicate, however, that there is still a very strong influence of standard-language ideology and the top-down oriented language policy. Contribution:  The paper suggests a change in the implementation of the Serbian terminology policy and planning that is more in line with the European terminology Guidelines (UNESCO, 2005).

Political liberalisation processes

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inmaculada Szmolka ◽  
Irene Fernández-Molina
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
The Political ◽  
Coalition Government ◽  
Political Regimes ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Mena Countries ◽  
Electoral Laws

This chapter examines the political liberalisation processes undertaken in MENA countries such as Morocco, Jordan, Oman and Algeria. As on previous occasions, the post-2011 political liberalisation processes were planned and led by the authoritarian rulers in a top-down fashion, acting as an escape valve for authoritarian regimes to defuse social discontent. These reforms were largely cosmetic and therefore have not led to a change in the authoritarian nature of the political regimes. The reforms focused mainly on two aspects: reforms of the constitution and party and electoral laws and changes in each regime’s degree of representation and/or political participation. Although there are positive aspects, the reforms have not brought about substantial changes in power relations. Only in the case of Morocco did these changes produce alternation in government although even there, the repercussions were limited by the need for the election winning party to form a coalition government and because of royal interference in the executive.

Attention

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin V. Butz ◽  
Esther F. Kutter
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Control ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Control Process ◽  
Focus Of Attention ◽  
Generative Models ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Current Task ◽  
Task Oriented ◽  
Selection Of

Cognition does not work without attention. Attention enables us to focus on particular tasks and particular aspects in the environment. Psychological insights show that attention exhibits bottom-up and top-down components. Attention is attracted from the bottom-up towards unusual, exceptional, and unexpected sensory information. Top-down attention, on the other hand, filters information dependent on the current task-oriented expectations, which depend on the available generative models. This computational interpretation enables the explanation of conjunctive and disjunctive search. Different models of attention emphasize the importance of the unfolding interaction processes and a processing bottleneck can be detected. As a result, attention can be viewed as a dynamic control process that unfolds in redundant, neural fields, in which the selection of one interpretation and thus the processing bottleneck is strongest at the current focus of attention. The actual focus of attention itself is determined by the current behavioral and cognitive goals.

scholarly journals Towards an Asian Model of Clusters and Cluster Policy: The Super Cluster Strategy

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 74-90
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz Michał Kowalski
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Foreign Direct Investments ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Cluster Policy ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Cluster Strategy ◽  
Support Mechanisms ◽  
Economic Zones ◽  
Selection Of

Clusters are recognized as important drivers of competitiveness and economic development. There are various models of clusters development all over the world, some of which may be initiated bottom-up by private firms, as in most European countries, or top-down by public administrations. In the case of Asian clusters, many are driven by foreign direct investments (FDI), with the most notable example being China. The objective of this study is to examine the Super Cluster strategy introduced in Thailand in 2015, especially in terms of the rationale and mechanism for selecting assisted clusters as well as the instruments used to support them. The goal is to contribute to a more in-depth formulation of the Asian model of clusters and cluster policy. The conducted analysis shows that Thai strategy deviates from traditional bottom-up approaches to cluster policy, veering towards the top-down approach in which government designates targeted regions and industries for the development of clusters. Another finding is that the Super Cluster strategy shares more common characteristics with Special Economic Zones (SEZ) than it does with the traditional approach to cluster policy in terms of its main objective of attracting foreign direct investments (FDI), securing support mechanisms as well as in the selection of target areas and the type of instruments to be implemented. The experience of Thailand is discussed along with that of other Asian countries, most notably China, in order to identify and verify the characteristics of the Asian model of clusters and cluster policy.

scholarly journals Frontal and parietal alpha oscillations reflect attentional modulation of cross-modal matching

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Misselhorn ◽  
Uwe Friese ◽  
Andreas K. Engel
Keyword(s):  
Gamma Activity ◽  
Multisensory Perception ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Alpha Oscillations ◽  
Sensory Inputs ◽  
Gamma Power ◽  
Sensory Cortices ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Selection Of

Multisensory perception is shaped by both attentional selection of relevant sensory inputs and exploitation of stimulus-driven factors that promote cross-modal binding. Underlying mechanisms of both top-down and bottom-up modulations have been linked to changes in alpha/gamma dynamics in primary sensory cortices and temporoparietal cortex. Accordingly, it has been proposed that alpha oscillations provide pulsed inhibition for gamma activity and thereby dynamically route cortical information flow. In this study, we employed a recently introduced multisensory paradigm incorporating both bottom-up and top-down aspects of cross-modal attention in an EEG study. The same trimodal stimuli were presented in two distinct attentional conditions, focused on visual-tactile or audio-visual components, for which cross-modal congruence of amplitude changes had to be evaluated. Neither top-down nor bottom-up cross-modal attention modulated alpha or gamma power in primary sensory cortices. Instead, we found alpha band effects in bilateral frontal and right parietal cortex. We propose that frontal alpha oscillations reflect the origin of top-down control regulating perceptual gains and that modulations of parietal alpha oscillations relates to intersensory re-orienting. Taken together, we suggest that the idea of selective cortical routing via alpha oscillations can be extended from sensory cortices to the frontoparietal attention network.

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