The Effective Number of Political Parties as a Determinant of Public Health

OUGHTOPIA ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 39-95
Author(s):  
Byung-Deuk Woo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Effective Number

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.

The Contemporary Politics of Health in Turkey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volkan Yılmaz
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Market Regulation ◽  
Policy Framing ◽  
Health Politics ◽  
Patient Organizations ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
The Government

This chapter offers a comprehensive analysis of recent patterns in health politics and policymaking in Turkey by focusing on nine dimensions of healthcare and public health. These dimensions range from physician politics, the politics of international policy expertise, business politics, the politics of medical humanitarianism, and patient politics to sexual and reproductive health politics, tobacco control politics, the politics of drug abuse, and the politics of the COVID-19. Based on this analysis, the chapter reaches three main conclusions. First, since the early 2000s, a new scene of health politics has begun to emerge in Turkey where both corporate actors and patient organizations are actively present alongside the government, political parties, and the Turkish Medical Association. Second, the framing of health in Turkish politics is no longer confined to social policy. The multiplication of references to health in various political discourses in economic growth, market regulation, population, family, and humanitarian policies in recent years has generated contested meanings and policy implications. Finally, an increasing number of democratic actors such as patient organizations, opposition political parties, and individual citizens are deploying public health and social policy frameworks about a diverse set of health issues in making rights claims. These efforts reflect continued popularity of the social policy framing of healthcare and signify democratization of health politics by turning health into a platform through which rights, entitlements, and the role of the state are negotiated.

Trade, societal interests, and political parties

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-338
Author(s):  
Wonjae Hwang ◽  
Ian Down
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Party System ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
The Political ◽  
Effective Number ◽  
Factor Mobility ◽  
System A ◽  
Political Impact ◽  
The Empirical Analysis ◽  
Societal Interests

We argue that international trade affects party systems but that this impact is conditioned on the types of societal interests trade brings about. When factor mobility is high, trade promotes class-based grievances that are unlikely to affect the structure of the party system. However, when factor mobility is low, trade will increase the diversity of group interests and policy preferences, thereby pressuring structural change in the party system. A consequence is an increase in the effective number of political parties. The empirical analysis supports these expectations. This paper contributes to our understanding of the political impact of economic liberalization on representative democracy.

scholarly journals Illegality and Healthcare: A Federalist Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis J. Wieboldt ◽  
Laura E. Perrault
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Social Services ◽  
The United States ◽  
Legal Regime ◽  
Health Security ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Federal Laws ◽  
Access To Primary Care

With the contemporary rise of mass media, the historically disadvantaged status of the United States’ immigrant and undocumented populations has become increasingly well-known. Perhaps as a result thereof, both major political parties have utilized the United States’ dynamic immigration system as a scepter of justice in the nation’s ethical and political discourse. Despite the polarization that inter-party immigration controversies frequently beget, discussion of the mutually-reinforcing relationship between statutory immigration and healthcare subsidy exclusions is far more meager and thus the subject of our inquiry. Remaining cognizant of the imbricated relationship between the federal government and its state counterparts within the United States’ federalist system, we explore the economic and public health consequences of immigration and healthcare laws which deny many immigrants access to vital social services. As a product of these restrictive state and federal laws, we conclude that many immigrants not only lack meaningful access to primary care, vaccinations, and labor/environmental quality safeguards, but also that the inaccessibility of such social services has detrimental effects on the nation’s aggregate economic health and public health. In response to the deficiencies of the United States’ legal regime vís-a-vís immigration and healthcare, we offer three distinct categories of recommendations, each of which intends to support the economic success and public health security of the greater American populace.

scholarly journals THE GLOBAL POLITICAL IMPACT OF THE CORONA-VIRUS PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (72) ◽  
pp. 29-47
Author(s):  
Mihaela HUȘANU
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Electoral System ◽  
Election Campaigns ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Political Impact ◽  
The World ◽  
Regional Elections

The Coronavirus pandemic has put profound pressure on the democratic electoral system around the world. Many national and regional elections, as well as referendums werepostponed, while others took place in a form adapted to the acute health crisis. The pandemic affected not only the actual conduct of election campaigns, which, due to health restrictions,used the online environment extensively, but also national public agendas. Issues such as public health, social and economic inequality, violations of individual rights and freedoms, as a resultof measures to prevent the risk of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, have come to the fore. The crisis has generated unpredictable and potentially disastrous results, from the collapse ofmainstream (traditional) parties to the emergence of new leaders and new political parties, some with strong extremist orientations. How has the Coronavirus pandemic changed theperception of the electorate and how has this perception influenced voting in times of crisis?Keywords: pandemic; Coronavirus; crisis; democracy; elections; impact

scholarly journals Italian Twitter semantic network during the Covid-19 epidemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattia Mattei ◽  
Guido Caldarelli ◽  
Tiziano Squartini ◽  
Fabio Saracco
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Semantic Network ◽  
Semantic Networks ◽  
World Population ◽  
False Information ◽  
Deep Impact ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Entire World

AbstractThe Covid-19 pandemic has had a deep impact on the lives of the entire world population, inducing a participated societal debate. As in other contexts, the debate has been the subject of several d/misinformation campaigns; in a quite unprecedented fashion, however, the presence of false information has seriously put at risk the public health. In this sense, detecting the presence of malicious narratives and identifying the kinds of users that are more prone to spread them represent the first step to limit the persistence of the former ones. In the present paper we analyse the semantic network observed on Twitter during the first Italian lockdown (induced by the hashtags contained in approximately 1.5 millions tweets published between the 23rd of March 2020 and the 23rd of April 2020) and study the extent to which various discursive communities are exposed to d/misinformation arguments. As observed in other studies, the recovered discursive communities largely overlap with traditional political parties, even if the debated topics concern different facets of the management of the pandemic. Although the themes directly related to d/misinformation are a minority of those discussed within our semantic networks, their popularity is unevenly distributed among the various discursive communities.

scholarly journals A health screening of European political party manifestos to inform priorities and strategies for influence

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
N Bos ◽  
M P M Bekker
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Epistemic Communities ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Party Manifestos ◽  
Medical Sector ◽  
The Eu

Abstract Background The European Parliament (EP) elections gave way for a new political cycle for the European Union (EU), and thus for public health (PH); an area 70% of the European citizens want the EU to do more on. This research clarifies if and how EU political parties prioritise health and where the gaps are. Methods A literature search was undertaken to 1) gain insight in which sectors the EU can establish policy impacting PH, 2) map actors that play a role in PH policy, and 3) find building blocks for a receptive environment. Four interviews were held with NGOs. Eleven EU political parties’ manifestos were thoroughly screened and two interviews were held with MEPs of two different parties. Results Eight sectors were identified in which the EU has (shared) legislative power and can positively impact PH. How these policies are packaged depends on who places their beliefs on the EU agenda. Actors in the political arena such as, parties that will dominate the EP, the Member States, NGOs, and epistemic communities need to make use of building blocks such as trusting relationships, broad and long term coalitions between different actors, and effective translation of expert knowledge, in order to create a receptive environment. In the manifestos health is (in)directly touched upon, but not prioritised. They look beyond the medical sector, but whether plans are meant to be linked to PH improvements is not always clear. MEPs are keen to prioritise health more at EU level, but respect the EU’s health competences. Conclusions Health is recognized by parties as relevant in non-medical sectors, which offers positive perspectives for the future, as other EU sectors’ policy can impact public health. The agenda-setting of health can be boosted by organizing actors in such a way that they create receptive environments amongst each other.

Support and share our manifesto for animals, vets and public health

2019 ◽  
Vol 185 (22) ◽  
pp. 703-703
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Public Affairs ◽  
General Election

With this month’s General Election fast approaching, BVA Public Affairs Manager Helena Cotton highlights the 10 pledges BVA has been encouraging all political parties to include in their manifestos.

scholarly journals Workshop: Political parties, health and influence in the EU

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Political Party ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
The Political ◽  
Welfare Policies ◽  
Health Politics ◽  
Political Landscape ◽  
European Parliament Elections ◽  
The Impact

Abstract In light of the 2019 European Parliament elections, signs of a deteriorating public health and the rise of populist radical parties elected in office in some Western countries, this urgent workshop focuses on making sense of the impact of politics on public health. There is a clear need for in-depth understanding and more effectively engaging with political processes that affect health. Political science articulates the understanding and improvement of the conditions under which politics is able to produce effective and legitimate solutions to policy problems. It involves a systematic inquiry into basic features of the political economy such as institutions, partisanship and the organization of labour markets. Understanding this political landscape of public health helps to define the political options for organizing effective influence on healthy policies and outcomes. One component in this health political landscape is that of political parties and partisanship. Political parties structure modern politics because they are the teams on which politicians compete for power. They mattered enormously in the post-war years of stable party systems, and their more recent crises and reconstitutions also matter enormously (as a quick look around Western Europe should show). Politicians, and parties, are motivated by the electoral imperative to seek and stay in office. Once elected, politicians on any issue will be looking to claim credit for good outcomes and avoid blame for bad outcomes. If the issue is one that lacks ‘traceability’ such that it produces no obvious credit or blame, politicians will take positions that please their followers and target voters. This workshop presents five studies on political parties and health, asking the questions ‘Do political parties matter to health? What do political parties talk about when they talk about health? And what do they actually do to health?’ In three studies a health screening was performed on political party manifestos and electoral programmes with additional explorative interviews. Two other studies dive into the academic literature on political parties and partisanship and their presumed effect on health and welfare policies. After these five presentations the panel, consisting of dr. Natasha Azzopardi Muscat, dr. Holly Jarman and prof Scott Greer, will briefly reflect upon the findings and implications for public health policy and politics. The participants of the workshop will be engaged in an interactive discussion with the panel and presenters focusing on the questions of (a) whether and how, in participants’ home countries, (radical and other) political parties address and affect health and welfare policies; (b) how participants can analyse this themselves; and (c) how they can act upon this evidence. We end the workshop with five key messages for follow up research and strategy. Key messages The 2019 European Parliament elections, signs of a deteriorating public health and the rise of populist radical parties provide opportunity and necessity to understand and influence health politics. Political party manifesto screening detects possible public health opportunities and threats, but party influence on policies is mediated by party system requirements varying across countries.

Community health advocacy to prevent social and health problems associated with gambling - a case study

2005 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Howat ◽  
Bruce Maycock ◽  
Terry Slevin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Professional Associations ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Political Candidates ◽  
Health Advocacy ◽  
Effective Advocacy ◽  
Gaming Machines ◽  
Poker Machines

Federal and state elections provide opportunity for health advocacy. Prior to the elections political parties reformulate their policies, many of which are relevant to public health. The adverse effects of gambling have been minimised in Western Australia (WA) compared to other states and territories in Australia due to strict policies that limit the availability of electronic gaming machines (EGMs). In the lead-up to the 2001 state election, aggressive lobbying of politicians was undertaken in an attempt to allow the expansion of poker machines to hotels and licensed clubs throughout the state. The proponents of this were representatives of the hoteliers and licensed clubs who claimed their continued economic viability was dependent on such a move. Opponents consisted of a coalition of community groups and professional associations. This paper is a summary of the approach taken by health advocates that ultimately contributed to written endorsement of the two main political parties to maintain the moratorium on the expansion of poker machines in WA. Focus of the paper is given to one approach involving direct contact with political candidates. This approach holds promise for effective advocacy for other public health issues.

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