Voting advice applications in Hungary. Vokskabin in the multi-election year 2014 and beyond

Central and Eastern European eDem and eGov Days ◽

10.24989/ocg.v325.45 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 325 ◽

pp. 547-560

Author(s):

Melani Barlai

Keyword(s):

Civic Education ◽

Regional Differences ◽

Voting Behavior ◽

Political Knowledge ◽

Online Tool ◽

Municipal Elections ◽

Socially Relevant ◽

Survey Questionnaires ◽

Voting Advice Applications

The objective of the paper is to introduce the first Hungarian scientifically developed online voting advice application project Vokskabin (www.vokskabin.hu). It was established on the occasion of the Hungarian super election year 2014, when three elections - parliamentary, the European Parliament and the municipal elections – took place. As a first step the study describes the development phase of the project as well as its structure and purpose. Furthermore, it analyses the user-statistics of the answered questionnaires, generated by the online-tool, for all three Hungarian elections and for the two questionnaires “Equality of men and women in Hungary” and “Roma in Hungary” which were developed 2015 to keep the civic education aspect of Vokskabin alive and addressing politically and socially relevant issues like gender equality and minority situation, also outside the election period. The paper raises two main questions: 1. Are there any regional differences of Vokskabin users’ behavior? 2. How does Vokskabin influence the voting behavior (with focus on the electoral participation) and the political knowledge? This part of the study is based on survey questionnaires addressed to the users of Vokskabin. In addition to the analysis of the statistics the paper aims to highlight the role of voting advice applications in general and the role of Vokskabin in particular, as means of civic education in the 21st century Hungarian society.

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Voting behavior and municipal elections 2014 in Slovakia

Slovak Journal of Political Sciences ◽

10.1515/sjps-2015-0005 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 93-113

Author(s):

Peter Horváth ◽

Karol Šebík

Keyword(s):

Decision Process ◽

Voting Behavior ◽

Party Identification ◽

Party Politics ◽

Party Affiliation ◽

Social Psychological ◽

Municipal Elections ◽

Face To Face ◽

Party Support

Abstract This paper attempts to clarify the patterns of voting behavior among citizens and determinants that could explain voting behavior. In its theoretical part, it deals with the role of party affiliation across several theories of voting behavior - sociological, economic and social-psychological approaches. In section dedicated to interpretation of municipal elections 2014 in regional cities, we evaluate the party identification as the most important factor in voter decision process. We argue, that regional cities are affected by party politics more than smaller cities. Face-to-face contacts with candidates are less frequented and party support plays more and more significant role.

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VAAs Users’ Voting Behavior and the Role of Partisanship. Evidence from the 2014 Belgian Federal Elections

Statistics Politics and Policy ◽

10.1515/spp-2018-0009 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 87-104 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marta Gallina

Keyword(s):

Logistic Regression ◽

Panel Data ◽

Voting Behavior ◽

Regression Models ◽

Vote Choice ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

The Impact ◽

Voting Advice Applications

AbstractIn this article, I investigate the effects of Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) on voting behavior of their users. It has been already demonstrated that voters are more likely to follow VAAs recommendation when this latter is consistent with their previous vote intentions. However, the role of partisan attachments in this process has been generally overlooked. The basic idea that I intend to test, indeed, is that partisanship works as strong attitude in voters’ minds, making their preferences less amenable to VAAs advices if compared to those of non-partisan citizens. By implementing logistic regression models on panel data from the 2014 Belgian Federal elections, I show that it is actually unlikely that citizens decide to switch their vote after having played the test, if the advice is not consistent with pre-existing vote intentions. More importantly, I find that the impact of VAAs advice on vote choice is even weaker among citizens that declare to feel attached to a party.

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Suva Residents’ Views on Cancer, Diabetes and HIV in The Fiji Times

The Journal of Pacific Studies ◽

10.33318/jpacs.2020.40(1)-4 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Farzana Gounder

Keyword(s):

Chronic Illnesses ◽

Structural Reforms ◽

Letters To The Editor ◽

Medical Responsibility ◽

Grassroots Support ◽

Preliminary Study ◽

Socially Relevant ◽

Situated Approach ◽

Significant Health

The burden of preventable diseases is increasing in the South Pacific Island Countries and Territories. In Fiji, significant media attention and national finances are spent on public dissemination of the modifiable risk factors of chronic illnesses. However, little is known about lay societal perceptions of chronic illnesses and of people living with these illnesses. This preliminary study takes an area-situated approach to lay knowledge and examines Suva residents’ moral evaluations associated with socially significant health concerns in Fiji. Using the case studies of HIV, cancer, and diabetes, the research employs content analysis to examine 144 Suva residents’ Letters to the Editor, published between 2000 and 2019 in The Fiji Times. The findings indicate that letter writers on chronic illnesses are power sensitive, interested in governmental responsibility, and aware of the role of stigma in creating inequitable health outcomes. The study’s findings locate chronic illness as not only a medical responsibility but also a social justice and human rights concern that requires a multisectoral approach, with community-tailored responses at the heart of all discussions. The lay-societal recognition of the three illnesses as being socially relevant suggests grassroots support for policies directed towards structural reforms for the prevention and management of these illnesses.

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AB0008 THE IMPACT OF STAT4 RS7574865, IL6 RS1800795, IL6R RS2228145 AND RS4845618 ON RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS SUSCEPTIBILITY IN BELARUSIAN POPULATION

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases ◽

10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-eular.1990 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. 1307.1-1308

Author(s):

E. Siniauskaya ◽

T. Kuzhir ◽

V. Yagur ◽

R. Goncharova

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Blood Donors ◽

Genetic Model ◽

Online Tool ◽

Genotype Frequencies ◽

Systemic Disorder ◽

Autoimmune Pathogenesis ◽

The Impact ◽

Arthritis Susceptibility

Background:Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic disorder of the connective tissue of still unknown aetiology and complex autoimmune pathogenesis that primarily affects small joints. HLA alleles provide for 11-37% of the RA heritability, suggesting the substantial role of the non-HLA loci in genetic predisposition to RA. Among non-HLA loci,IL6, IL6RandSTAT4genes attract attention, however, the data concerning their influence on RA risk are somewhat contradictory.Objectives:The aim of the study was to analyze the involvement of four SNPs (STAT4rs7574865,IL6rs1800795,IL6Rrs2228145 and rs4845618) in RA susceptibility.Methods:187 patients diagnosed with RA (mean age 58.2 ± 11.9), and 380 healthy blood donors (mean age 37.18 ± 10.69 years) were included into the study. DNA extraction from peripheral blood samples was performed using the phenol-chloroform method. SNPs were genotyped using the real-time PCR with fluorescent probes. The allele and genotype frequencies were compared using the χ2 test. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using the VassarStats online tool.Results:Utilizing recessive genetic model we found an association between TT genotype ofSTAT4rs7574865 (OR = 2.362; 95%CI [1.0378 – 5.376], p = 0.038) and RA. ForIL6rs1800795, it was found that CC genotype had significantly higher frequency among patients with rheumatoid arthritis as compared to that in controls (OR = 1.52; 95%CI [1.02 – 2.27], p = 0.0456). No associations ofIL6Rrs2228145 and rs4845618 SNPs with risk of RA were found in the total group of patients vs. controls. It was also shown thatIL6rs1800795 CC genotype frequency was significantly higher among the patients with RF-negative status (p = 0.0019).Conclusion:Thus, we provide evidence for association of theSTAT4rs7574865 andIL6rs1800795 variants with risk of RA in the Belarusian population, some features of interplay being revealed between gene polymorphisms analyzed and RA antibody status. Abovementioned SNPs may contribute to RA genetic susceptibility in the Belarusian population.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

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Negativity and Political Behavior: A Theoretical Framework for the Analysis of Negative Voting in Contemporary Democracies

Political Studies Review ◽

10.1177/14789299211000187 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 147892992110001

Author(s):

Diego Garzia ◽

Frederico Ferreira da Silva

Keyword(s):

Public Opinion ◽

Political Behavior ◽

Voting Behavior ◽

Theoretical Framework ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Affective Component ◽

Parliamentary Systems ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Rational Component

Recent developments in Western societies have motivated a growing consideration of the role of negativity in public opinion and political behavior research. In this article, we review the scant (and largely disconnected) scientific literature on negativity and political behavior, merging contributions from social psychology, public opinion, and electoral research, with a view on developing an integrated theoretical framework for the study of negative voting in contemporary democracies. We highlight that the tendency toward negative voting is driven by three partly overlapping components, namely, (1) an instrumental–rational component characterized by retrospective performance evaluations and rationalization mechanisms, (2) an ideological component grounded on long-lasting political identities, and (3) an affective component, motivated by (negative) attitudes toward parties and candidates. By blueprinting the systematic relationships between negative voting and each of these components in turn, and suggesting multiple research paths, this article aims to stimulate future studies on negative voting in multi-party parliamentary systems to motivate a better understanding of the implications of negativity in voting behavior in contemporary democracies.

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Higher education, post-conflict democratization and the legacies of authoritarian rule: The Tripoli University Programme for Rebuilding Libya

Education Citizenship and Social Justice ◽

10.1177/1746197920981365 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 174619792098136

Author(s):

Sansom Milton

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Middle East ◽

Civic Education ◽

Authoritarian Rule ◽

Post Conflict ◽

Transitional Processes ◽

The Arab Spring ◽

The Relationship

In this paper, the role of higher education in post-uprising Libya is analysed in terms of its relationship with transitional processes of democratization and civic development. It begins by contextualising the Libyan uprising within the optimism of the ‘Arab Spring’ transitions in the Middle East. Following this, the relationship between higher education and politics under the Qadhafi regime and in the immediate aftermath of its overthrow is discussed. A case-study of a programme designed to support Tripoli University in contributing towards democratisation will then be presented. The findings of the case-study will be reflected upon to offer a set of recommendations for international actors engaging in political and civic education in conflict-affected settings, in particular in the Middle East.

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Facing neoliberalism through dialogic spaces as sites of hope in science education: experiences of two self-organised communities

Cultural Studies of Science Education ◽

10.1007/s11422-021-10042-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Betzabé Torres-Olave ◽

Paulina Bravo González

Keyword(s):

Science Education ◽

Science Teacher ◽

Science Teachers ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

Political Knowledge ◽

Sense Of Agency ◽

Critical View ◽

Counter Narratives ◽

Science Teacher Educators

AbstractIn this paper, we discuss the role of dialogue in two layers; first, in relation to two self-organised communities of science teachers in which we participated and, second, our process of coming together during our PhDs to analyse these communities, a dialogue about the dialogue. Regarding the first layer, there is much to learn from science teachers and science teacher educators when they are organised in sites of learning that can be spaces of hope, beginnings, and becoming, as is illustrated in the case of these two self-organised communities. Regarding the second layer, we discuss the value of dialogue and the possibilities it offers to develop ideas for science education in a way that might be democratising, emancipatory, and offering counter-narratives in a neoliberal Chile. By engaging in this dialogue revisiting the practices of our communities, we gained a sense of agency within the field of science education. However, we realised that we need to move towards a critical view within our communities, and more contextual and transformative science education by translating these sites of hope to our educational praxis today. For us, this relates both to developing a collective view of how to make science education provide pedagogical conditions and experiences for critical and engaged citizenship and thinking how we can act and engage with different settings in solidarity. One way of moving towards this is by developing a political knowledge of our disciplines through a collective scientific conscientisation. Our communities are the departure points to achieve this.

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