scholarly journals Out of the lockdown: democratic trust in the management of epidemic crises

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Frega
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
Political Trust ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
One Dimension ◽  
Democratic Quality

This paper presents a preliminary inquiry into the democratic role of trust in the management of epidemic crises, by shedding some light on one dimension political theory has systematically neglected, which is trust of elites in citizens. The paper proceeds as follows. After an introduction, the first section distinguishes two dimensions of political trust. I then proceed to explain why elites’ trust in citizens is as important as citizens’ trust in elites for the democratic quality of a regime. The following section discusses in further details the democratic implications of elites’ trust in citizens. The fourth and last section introduces the idea of democratic experiments as opportunities to reinforce elites’ trust in citizens.

scholarly journals The Democratic Quality of Institutional Regimes: A Conceptual Framework

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Kaiser ◽  
Matthias Lehnert ◽  
Bernhard Miller ◽  
Ulrich Sieberer
Keyword(s):  
Two Dimensions ◽  
One Dimension ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Individual Preferences ◽  
Majoritarian Democracy ◽  
Democratic Quality ◽  
Input Characteristic ◽  
Actual Policy ◽  
Institutional Regimes

Lijphart's spectrum of democracies – recently expanded by Jack Nagel to a sub-majoritarian sphere of pluralitarian systems which use disproportional electoral systems in order to manufacture majority governments from minorities in the electorate – is based on only one dimension: inclusion of preferences. Political scientists in the Lijphartian tradition wrongly assume that inclusion of preferences, which is an input characteristic, automatically leads to responsiveness, which refers to actual policy decisions and hence is an output characteristic. We therefore add ‘responsibility’ as a second input characteristic and employ it alongside the inclusiveness of institutional regimes. We argue that in representative democracies there exists a trade-off between inclusiveness and responsibility. This trade-off helps us to measure the democratic quality of institutional regimes. The now expanded spectrum of democracies based on these two dimensions shows that majoritarian democracy proper – in which governments represent a majority of individual preferences but not more than necessary – is the best possible combination of the two democratic values.

Egypt’s Plasticine Constitution

2021 ◽  
pp. 220-264
Author(s):  
Sherif Elgebeily
Keyword(s):  
Presidential Elections ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
National Elections ◽  
Democratic Quality ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Run Up ◽  
Democratic Principles ◽  
Constitutional Protections

On 26 March 2018, Egyptians overwhelmingly voted to elect incumbent Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to another term as their President in an election where the outcome was known in advance. Any genuine competition was eliminated from the pool of candidates through arrests, media attacks, and intimidation. This chapter examines how Egypt has reached point, the implications for its future, and the role that guaranteed electoral processes of the 2014 Egyptian Constitution played in diminishing the democratic quality of elections. The chapter paper takes a three-part approach to analysing the role of the constitution in the decline of democratic principles in the 2018 Egyptian Presidential elections. Firstly, it examines the constitutional protections of eligibility criteria that exist to support the presence of multi-party candidates in presidential elections, exploring how these were abused by the Sisi administration in the run-up to the elections. Secondly, the chapter analyses the creation of election governance bodies, notably the National Elections Committee (NEC), and its malleability in support of Sisi. Finally, the chapter examines the abuse of existing state machinery in the run-up to the elections and highlights how this has undermined authentic, free elections. The chapter links the 2018 elections to subsequent developments, including the 2019 constitutional referendum which broadened even further the Sisi administration’s control over the country at the expense of constitutional protections.

6. The European Parliament:

2021 ◽  
pp. 128-148
Author(s):  
Ariadna Ripoll Servent ◽  
Olivier Costa
Keyword(s):  
European Parliament ◽  
Theoretical Explanation ◽  
The Political ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Democratic Quality ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Over Time

The European Parliament (EP) symbolizes many of the struggles that characterize the process of European integration and is at the core of many theoretical and empirical debates about representation, accountability, and legitimacy. This chapter draws on a variety of theoretical approaches to explain the complex role the EP plays in the political system of the European Union (EU). It starts with a brief overview of the history and functions of the assembly, followed by a theoretical explanation of its empowerment over time. Then, it determines the extent to which the EP is capable of influencing policymaking, both in legislative and non-legislative domains, as well as for the appointment of the Commission. It presents the political structure of the assembly and underlines the role of parliamentary groups and committees. It discusses the representativeness of the EP and the democratic quality of its internal functioning. Finally, it addresses current and future challenges for the EP.

The Role of Migration in the Variety and Quality of Trade: Evidence from Germany

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella Bellino ◽  
Giuseppe Celi
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Goods ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Information Flows ◽  
Information Effect ◽  
Industry Trade ◽  
Migrant Communities ◽  
The Difference

AbstractWe explore the migration-trade nexus in the case of Germany over the period 2000-09, disentangling the two dimensions of intra-industry trade (vertical and horizontal). We find that immigration is positively and significantly related to intraindustry trade. However, the magnitude and statistical significance of migration’s impact on trade are considerably higher for horizontal intra-industry trade and increase with the difference in the level of development between Germany and the partner countries. This pattern is consistent with the view that information flows between migrant communities and their country of origin may be more important for consumer goods (where trade in varieties prevails) and that this information effect is more important if trading countries are very different.

A Note on the Convergence Analysis of a Diffuse-domain Approach

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Franz ◽  
Hans-Görg Roos ◽  
Roland Gärtner ◽  
Axel Voigt
Keyword(s):  
Differential Equation ◽  
Convergence Analysis ◽  
Plane Problem ◽  
Half Plane ◽  
Numerical Experiments ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Elliptic Differential Equation ◽  
One Dimension ◽  
Approximation Quality

Abstract We analyse the error behaviour of a diffuse-domain approximation of an elliptic differential equation. In one dimension and for a half-plane problem in two dimensions an approximation quality of order one in the interface parameter is shown. Some supporting numerical experiments are also presented.

scholarly journals Measurement of Service Quality in Trade Fair Organization

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9567
Author(s):  
José Felipe Jiménez-Guerrero ◽  
Jerónimo de Burgos-Jiménez ◽  
Jorge Tarifa-Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Trade Fair ◽  
Quality Level ◽  
Close Collaboration ◽  
Quality Of Results ◽  
Quality Aspects

The success of a trade fair depends on the close collaboration between organizers and exhibitors with potential visitors. While the literature has invested a great deal of interest in the role of the exhibitor and, to a lesser extent, to the visitor, scarce attention has been paid to the vital role played by the fair organizer. The present work analyzes the latter and their importance to the success of a trade fair, which is measured by the quality of the services offered to exhibitors. Using a sample of exhibitors at an International Spanish trade fair, regression analysis is used to examine, at the exploratory level, some quality aspects linked to organizers that can affect the fulfillment of objectives established by exhibitors prior to attending a fair. The results obtained reveal that two dimensions of quality linked to the organizer (event design and quality of results) highly correlate with the final perceptions of exhibitors, and that their deficient quality level prevents the exhibitors from reaching their fair goals.

scholarly journals The philosopher as engaged citizen: Habermas on the role of the public intellectual in the modern democratic public sphere

2021 ◽  
pp. 136843102110031
Author(s):  
Peter J. Verovšek
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
Public Intellectual ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Public Intellectuals ◽  
Political Debate ◽  
Direct Role ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Relationship

Realists and supporters of ‘democratic underlabouring’ have recently challenged the traditional separation between political theory and practice. Although both attack Jürgen Habermas for being an idealist whose philosophy is too removed from politics, I argue that this interpretation is inaccurate. While Habermas’s social and political theory is indeed oriented to truth and understanding, he has sought realize his communicative conception of democracy by increasing the quality of political debate as a public intellectual. Building on his approach, I argue that giving the theorist a direct role in public policy undermines theory as an enterprise oriented towards truth while overlooking the contingency, participatory nature and complicated internal logics of social and political practice. My basic thesis is that Habermas’s understanding of the relationship between theory and practice overcomes these difficulties by providing an account of theory that is independent but simultaneously also allows philosophers to participate in politics as public intellectuals.

Mind-mindedness in adult and adolescent mothers: Relations to maternal sensitivity and infant attachment

2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 529-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Demers ◽  
Annie Bernier ◽  
George M. Tarabulsy ◽  
Marc A. Provost
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Mothers ◽  
Maternal Sensitivity ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
One Dimension ◽  
Strange Situation ◽  
Infant Attachment

This article examines the quality of maternal mind-mindedness among adult and adolescent mothers, using an assessment of the appropriateness and emotional valence of maternal mind-related comments while interacting with their infants. Twenty-nine adult mothers and 69 adolescent mothers participated in two assessments with their 18-month-old infants. Results showed that adult mothers used more mind-related comments when interacting with their child, especially comments referring to infant mental states. Adult mothers also used more appropriate and positive mind-related comments. Home observations and strange situation assessments revealed that two dimensions of mind-mindedness were associated with maternal sensitivity and three with infant attachment in adult mothers, whereas only one dimension was associated with maternal sensitivity in adolescent mothers.

scholarly journals Contestation in Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives: Enhancing the Democratic Quality of Transnational Governance

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Arenas ◽  
Laura Albareda ◽  
Jennifer Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Economic Approach ◽  
Transnational Governance ◽  
Democratic Quality ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Political Approach ◽  
Multi Stakeholder

ABSTRACTThis article studies multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) as spaces for both deliberation and contestation between constituencies with competing discourses and disputed values, beliefs, and preferences. We review different theoretical perspectives on MSIs, which see them mainly as spaces to find solutions to market problems (economic approach), as spaces of conflict and bargaining (political approach), or as spaces of consensus (deliberative approach). In contrast, we build on a contestatory deliberative perspective, which gives equal value to both contestation and consensus. We identify four types of internal contestation which can be present in MSIs—procedural, inclusiveness, epistemic, and ultimate-goal—and argue that embracing contestation and engaging in ongoing revision of provisional agreements, criteria, and goals can enhance the democratic quality of MSIs. Finally, we explore the implications of this perspective for theorizing about the democratic quality in MSIs and about the role of corporations in transnational governance.

Introduction

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Nico Steytler ◽  
Charles M Fombad
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
The State ◽  
Internal Conflict ◽  
Constitutional Democracy ◽  
Democratic Quality ◽  
Women's Participation

This volume examines democracy and elections in Africa, a focus motivated by two concerns. First, after 30 years, it is important to take stock of the state of constitutional democracy on the continent. The democratic gains of the 1990s and 2010s seem to be falling by the wayside. Second, multiparty democracy is essential for the proper functioning of the state in addressing the major problems facing Africa—internal conflict, inequality, lack of development, poor governance, and corruption. Part I of the volume examines how multiparty democracy currently works in Africa and considers ways in which to achieve constitutional democracy, a key component of constitutionalism. Part II contains five case studies on how ‘democratic’ authoritarian regimes maintain themselves. Part III concerns the role of political parties and their internal democratic functioning. Part IV focuses on enhancing the democratic quality of electoral processes. Part V focuses on inclusive democracy with reference to women’s participation.

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