scholarly journals Welfare Mediators as Game Changers? Deconstructing Power Asymmetries Between EU Migrants and Welfare Administrators

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nora Ratzmann ◽  
Anita Heindlmaier
Keyword(s):  
Member State ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Equal Treatment ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
German Language ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Power Asymmetries ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
Administrative Procedures

Under EU law, EU citizens constitute a particular group of immigrants, as they can, mostly without restrictions, move to, and reside in, another EU country, enjoying equal treatment with nationals in terms of accessing employment and social rights. However, as this article demonstrates, the settlement of EU citizens in another member state does not happen without hurdles. Through a careful in‐depth study of access to transnational welfare rights in practice, we analyse knowledge and resulting power asymmetries impacting interactions between certain EU migrant claimants and street‐level bureaucrats in Austrian and German social administrations. Following an inductive approach, based on an extensive data set of 144 qualitative interviews, this article first unpacks the different types of knowledge asymmetries relating to administrative procedures, formal social entitlements and the German language. We then analyse how such knowledge asymmetries may open space for welfare mediation in order to compensate for a lack of German language skills and to clarify misunderstandings about legal entitlements and obligations embedded in the claims system. Finally, our contribution offers a typology of welfare mediators and their characteristics, as not all types can be regarded as equally effective in reshaping power asymmetries. Overall, this article allows for insights into how welfare mediators, as more or less institutionalised opportunity structures, can shift policy outcomes in unexpected ways, enabling access to social benefits and services for otherwise excluded EU migrant citizens working, or seeking to work, in another EU member state.

Crowded Space, Fertile Ground: Party Entry and the Effective Number of Parties

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Kselman ◽  
Eleanor Neff Powell ◽  
Joshua A. Tucker
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Party System ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Effective Number ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Fertile Ground ◽  
Effective Number Of Parties ◽  
Number Of Parties

This paper develops a novel argument as to the conditions under which new political parties will form in democratic states. Our approach hinges on the manner in which politicians evaluate the policy implications of new party entry alongside considerations of incumbency for its own sake. We demonstrate that if candidates care sufficiently about policy outcomes, then the likelihood of party entry shouldincreasewith the effective number of status quo parties in the party system. This relationship weakens, and eventually disappears, as politicians’ emphasis on “office-seeking” motivations increases relative to their interest in public policy. We test these predictions with both aggregate electoral data in contemporary Europe and a data set on legislative volatility in Turkey, uncovering support for the argument that party system fragmentation should positively affect the likelihood of entry when policy-seeking motivations are relevant, but not otherwise.

Incentives for Inclusive E-Government

2020 ◽  
pp. 60-85
Author(s):  
Irene Bernhard
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Equal Treatment ◽  
Internet Services ◽  
Municipal Services ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Contact Centers

In this chapter, the focus is on incentives for inclusive e-government. Five case studies of the implementation of contact centers in Swedish municipalities are described and discussed. The research methods used are mainly qualitative interviews with different categories of municipal personnel and with citizens. The main conclusion is that the implementation seems to contribute to increased accessibility of municipal services, even for those citizens who might have problems using Internet services. The study indicates a development towards increased equal treatment of citizens and a contribution to reducing problems related to the “digital divide.” Municipal services became more adapted to citizens' needs by using citizen-centric methods during the development process and in the daily work of the contact centers. The implementation of municipal contact centers can thus be seen as indicating incentives for local e-democracy and a step towards inclusive e-government, although there is still a need to go further in this direction.

scholarly journals Using nuclear microsatellite data to trace the gene flow and population structure in Czech horses

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 67-77
Author(s):  
L. Putnová ◽  
R. Štohl ◽  
I. Vrtková
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Inbreeding Coefficient ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
Nuclear Microsatellite ◽  
High Level ◽  
Equus Przewalskii ◽  
Assignment Success

Based on a data set comprising 2879 animals and 17 nuclear microsatellite DNA markers, we propose the most comprehensive in-depth study mapping the genetic structure and specifying the assignment success rates in horse breeds at the Czech population scale. The STRUCTURE program was used to perform systematic Bayesian clustering via the Markov chain Monte Carlo estimation, enabling us to explain the population stratification and to identify genetic structure patterns within breeds worldwide. In total, 182 different alleles were found over all the populations and markers, with the mean number of 10.7 alleles per locus. The expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.459 (Friesian) to 0.775 (Welsh Part Bred), and the average level reached 0.721. The average observed heterozygosity corresponded to 0.709, with the highest value detected in the Czech Sport Pony (0.775). The largest number of private alleles was found in Equus przewalskii. The population inbreeding coefficient F<sub>IS</sub> ranged from –0.08 in the Merens to 0.14 in the Belgian Warmblood. The total within-population inbreeding coefficient was estimated to be moderate. As expected, very large genetic differentiation and small gene flow were established between the Friesian and Equus przewalskii (F<sub>ST </sub>= 0.37, Nm = 0.43). Zero F<sub>ST</sub> values indicated no differences between the Czech Warmblood–Slovak Warmblood and the Czech Warmblood–Bavarian Warmblood. A high level of breeding and connectivity was revealed between the Slovak Warmblood–Bavarian Warmblood, Dutch Warmblood–Oldenburg Horse, Bavarian Warmblood–Dutch Warmblood, and Bavarian Warmblood–Oldenburg Horse. The breeds’ contribution equalled about 6% of the total genetic variability. The overall proportion of individuals correctly assigned to a population corresponded to 82.4%. The posterior Bayesian approach revealed a hierarchical dynamic genetic structure in four clusters (hot-blooded, warm-blooded, cold-blooded, and pony). While most of the populations were genetically distinct from each other and well-arranged with solid breed structures, some of the entire sets showed signs of admixture and/or fragmentation.

Does Social Similarity Pay Off? Homophily and Venture Capitalists’ Deal Valuation, Downside Risk Protection, and Financial Returns in India

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 576-603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Claes ◽  
Balagopal Vissa
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Downside Risk ◽  
Venture Capitalists ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Risk Protection ◽  
Regional Similarity ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
The Impact

We ask how social similarity between start-up founders and venture capitalists (VCs) influences VCs’ pricing decisions and returns on investments. We conceptualize how regional and caste similarity, two salient aspects of social similarity in India, affect two distinct aspects of deal pricing: premoney valuation and investors’ downside risk protection in the Indian venture capital market. We theorize that VCs reflect the benefits and costs of social similarity by setting higher premoney valuation when investing in companies led by socially similar founders while also minimizing their downside risks in these investments. We expect that social similarity’s impact on pricing is amplified when VCs face greater subjective uncertainty, such as for early-stage deals or if the VCs lack expertise in the start-up company’s product market. Finally, we claim that VCs achieve superior returns on investments when their deal pricing accurately reflects the impact of social similarity. We tested our conceptual model using both parametric and nonparametric methods on a hand-collected data set of all deals that occurred during 2005–2012, and we supplemented our analyses with in-depth, qualitative interviews that contextualize our findings. The pattern of findings on regional similarity are consistent with our model, but the effects of caste in our data are theoretically anomalous. Post hoc analyses to resolve the anomaly suggest an “intrinsic quality” mechanism, whereby higher-caste VCs set higher valuations when matching with lower-caste founders that signal high quality. Overall, our findings offer evidence that VCs incorporate social attributes into deal pricing in nuanced yet boundedly rational ways.

Who Does What Work in a Ministerial Office: Politically Appointed Staff and the Descriptive Representation of Women in Australian Political Offices, 1979–2010

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 463-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marija Taflaga ◽  
Matthew Kerby
Keyword(s):  
Political Institutions ◽  
Career Paths ◽  
Descriptive Representation ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Political Elites ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Systematic Data ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
Policy Work ◽  
First Time

Women are underrepresented within political institutions, which can (negatively) impact policy outcomes. We examine women’s descriptive representation as politically appointed staff within ministerial offices. Politically appointed staff are now institutionalised into the policy process, so who they are is important. To date, collecting systematic data on political staff has proved impossible. However, for the first time we demonstrate how to build a systematic data set of this previously unobservable population. We use Australian Ministerial Directories (telephone records) from 1979 to 2010 (a method that can notionally be replicated in advanced democratic jurisdictions), to examine political advising careers in a similar manner as elected political elites. We find that work in political offices is divided on gender lines: men undertake more policy work, begin and end their careers in higher status roles and experience greater career progression than women. We find evidence that this negatively impacts women’s representation and their later career paths into parliament.

Web-Based Systems Development

2010 ◽  
pp. 161-179
Author(s):  
Michael Lang
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Systems Development ◽  
Web Development ◽  
Situated Action ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Development Data ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
Elementary Statistics

This chapter encapsulates the main findings of an in-depth study of Web development practices in Ireland. The essential research objective was to build a richer understanding of the modern context of Web development and of how that context influences design practices. At the outset, a conceptual framework was derived through a synthesis of issues in the literature and an analysis of existing models of IS development. Data was then gathered through a dual-mode (Web and postal) quantitative survey which yielded 165 usable responses, and later through a series of 14 semi-structured qualitative interviews in a follow-up field study. Following an interpretive approach, elementary statistics and grounded theory were used to iteratively analyze the data until a reasonably comprehensive and stable explanation emerged. This is presented in the form of an elaborated conceptual framework of Web-based systems development as “situated action.”

Political Support

2007 ◽  
Vol 40 (12) ◽  
pp. 1511-1532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henar Criado ◽  
Francisco Herreros
Keyword(s):  
Political Institutions ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Political Support ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Attribution Of Responsibility ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Individual Variables ◽  
The Government

The analysis of the causes of political support for political institutions has been focused either on one-case studies that stress the relevance of individual variables or cross-national studies that stress the role of institutions. In this article, the authors suggest that to understand the logic of political support, it is necessary to combine both types of explanations. Using evidence from 17 European countries of the 2002 to 2003 European Social Survey data set, the authors show that the effect of the performance of the institution on political support is higher in majoritarian democracies, where the attribution of responsibility for policy outcomes is clear, than in proportional democracies. They also show that the effect of ideology on political support depends on the type of democracy: Those citizens ideologically far from the government will show higher levels of political support in proportional democracies than in majoritarian ones.

scholarly journals EXTRACTING AND COMPARING PLACES USING GEO-SOCIAL MEDIA

2015 ◽  
Vol II-3/W5 ◽  
pp. 311-316
Author(s):  
F. O. Ostermann ◽  
H. Huang ◽  
G. Andrienko ◽  
N. Andrienko ◽  
C. Capineri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Semantic Similarity ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Social Media Data ◽  
Temporal Clustering ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Media Data

Increasing availability of Geo-Social Media (e.g. Facebook, Foursquare and Flickr) has led to the accumulation of large volumes of social media data. These data, especially geotagged ones, contain information about perception of and experiences in various environments. Harnessing these data can be used to provide a better understanding of the semantics of places. We are interested in the similarities or differences between different Geo-Social Media in the description of places. This extended abstract presents the results of a first step towards a more in-depth study of semantic similarity of places. Particularly, we took places extracted through spatio-temporal clustering from one data source (Twitter) and examined whether their structure is reflected semantically in another data set (Flickr). Based on that, we analyse how the semantic similarity between places varies over space and scale, and how Tobler's first law of geography holds with regards to scale and places.

Europe's Passive Virtues

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Zglinski
Keyword(s):  
Member State ◽  
Judicial Review ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Free Movement ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Division Of Powers ◽  
National Institutions ◽  
European Court ◽  
Margin Of Appreciation ◽  
The Impact

This book investigates the phenomenon of deference to Member State authorities in EU free movement law. It enquires into the decision-making latitude which the European Court of Justice grants national institutions by means of two deference doctrines: the margin of appreciation and decentralized judicial review. At the same time, it sheds light on a number of broader developments in European law. These include changes in the intensity of judicial review, the relationship between centre and periphery, the interaction between political and adjudicative processes, and the division of powers between EU and Member State courts. Drawing on an original data set of free movement cases from 1974 to 2013, the book examines how and which decisions the Court defers to national institutions. It tests the impact of twelve variables on the practice of judicial deference. The results reveal that free movement law and the internal market have substantially changed over the past four decades. The Court has scaled down its involvement in and reduced its control over Member State affairs. The book argues that these new-found ‘passive virtues’ are linked to the legal, political, and institutional changes that have taken place in the EU.

Right of Residence

2019 ◽  
pp. 113-187
Author(s):  
Elspeth Guild ◽  
Steve Peers ◽  
Jonathan Tomkin
Keyword(s):  
Member State ◽  
Case Law ◽  
The Other ◽  
Free Movement ◽  
Equal Treatment ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
The One ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter details the right of residence provided for in the citizens’ Directive. The citizens’ Directive regulates and gives detailed expression to the right of free movement and residence conferred by the Treaties on Union citizens. At its simplest, the Directive regulates residence on the basis of the intended duration of a stay in another Member State. The chapter then evaluates case law which concerns the relationship between the right to equal treatment, on the one hand, and the right of residence, on the other, and whether mobile Union citizens could rely on the principle of equality as a basis for claiming a right to access social benefits and maintaining a right to reside in a host Member State.

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