Party Politics, Ahead of Print.
While many argue populist radical-right parties to be the largest contemporary threat to democracy, much of the evidence either focuses on the rare case of a populist radical-right prime minister, or conflates right-populist prime ministers with right-populist government participation, with some asserting that it would be difficult for these parties to have any real effect without holding the prime ministership. In this paper I conduct a large-scale analysis of European nations to quantify the effect right-populist junior coalition partners have on liberal democracy. I argue that as junior coalition partners, they will indeed affect democratic quality, albeit in ways that differ from that of a right-populist prime minister. While previous literature has demonstrated that populist radical-right parties bring with them decreases in the level of democratic quality pertaining to institutional constraints on power and mass civil liberties, junior coalition partners are only able to effect the latter.
Does more matter? Critical mass and legislative influence
Party Politics, Ahead of Print.
Scholars are divided on whether increased group size helps or hurts political minorities. We test the concept of “critical mass” using a different kind of long-time minority: pre-realignment Republicans in the American South. In Arkansas, after a century of token status, the minority party doubled its numbers in the late 1990s, held steady through the 2000s, then surged to a super majority. This stair-stepped transformation opened a unique window to address a question thus far examined only cross-sectionally: is an outgroup’s influence enhanced by an increase in numbers or does success become less likely as the majority reacts to a growing threat? We find support for the latter. As the minority expands, the likelihood their bills will be adopted, relative to majority bills, decreases markedly. The widened deficit is not, however, the consequence of diminished Republican success, but rather of a Democratic surge.
Scholars are divided on whether increased group size helps or hurts political minorities. We test the concept of “critical mass” using a different kind of long-time minority: pre-realignment Republicans in the American South. In Arkansas, after a century of token status, the minority party doubled its numbers in the late 1990s, held steady through the 2000s, then surged to a super majority. This stair-stepped transformation opened a unique window to address a question thus far examined only cross-sectionally: is an outgroup’s influence enhanced by an increase in numbers or does success become less likely as the majority reacts to a growing threat? We find support for the latter. As the minority expands, the likelihood their bills will be adopted, relative to majority bills, decreases markedly. The widened deficit is not, however, the consequence of diminished Republican success, but rather of a Democratic surge.
The 2020 county elections in Romania: More nationalization, less regionalization
The 2020 county elections in Romania: More nationalization, less regionalization
We Don’t Sleep on Rainy Nights
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Despite years of social mobility, indigenous people in India stand low in most development indices, and the substandard living conditions make them highly vulnerable to natural disasters. In this communication, we unfold the vulnerabilities and coping strategies of the Paniya tribal community of Kerala during the unusual rain and flood that the state faced in 2018 and 2019. The vulnerability arises primarily from food scarcity, malnutrition, low physical well-being, unemployment and financial instability. Climate change and related events seem to heighten the prevailing exposure of the indigenous community, and women are generally more vulnerable to the impacts of natural disasters. The study also points out the psychological impact of the flood and the various coping mechanisms adopted over individual and community levels to alleviate the effect. The community members have an optimistic outlook towards life, even after experiencing catastrophic floods and landslides. Nevertheless, this outlook is not a visionary outcome of the rehabilitation process but rather an optionless strategy for the community to get along.
Despite years of social mobility, indigenous people in India stand low in most development indices, and the substandard living conditions make them highly vulnerable to natural disasters. In this communication, we unfold the vulnerabilities and coping strategies of the Paniya tribal community of Kerala during the unusual rain and flood that the state faced in 2018 and 2019. The vulnerability arises primarily from food scarcity, malnutrition, low physical well-being, unemployment and financial instability. Climate change and related events seem to heighten the prevailing exposure of the indigenous community, and women are generally more vulnerable to the impacts of natural disasters. The study also points out the psychological impact of the flood and the various coping mechanisms adopted over individual and community levels to alleviate the effect. The community members have an optimistic outlook towards life, even after experiencing catastrophic floods and landslides. Nevertheless, this outlook is not a visionary outcome of the rehabilitation process but rather an optionless strategy for the community to get along.
Book review: Sekhar Bandyopadhyay and Tanika Sarkar (Eds), Caste in Bengal: Histories of Hierarchy, Exclusion, and Resistance
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Sekhar Bandyopadhyay and Tanika Sarkar (Eds), Caste in Bengal: Histories of Hierarchy, Exclusion, and Resistance. Permanent Black, 2022, ₹1495, x+605 pp. ISBN: 9788178246512 (Hardback).
Sekhar Bandyopadhyay and Tanika Sarkar (Eds), Caste in Bengal: Histories of Hierarchy, Exclusion, and Resistance. Permanent Black, 2022, ₹1495, x+605 pp. ISBN: 9788178246512 (Hardback).
The Assertion of Identity: A Research on Meches, Rabhas, Totos and Garos of North Bengal
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Anil Kumar Sarkar, Tribes of Sub-Himalayan Region: Meches, Rabhas, Totos and Garos New Delhi: Mittal Publications,, 2021, 178 pp, ₹700. ISBN: 978-8194936084.
Anil Kumar Sarkar, Tribes of Sub-Himalayan Region: Meches, Rabhas, Totos and Garos New Delhi: Mittal Publications,, 2021, 178 pp, ₹700. ISBN: 978-8194936084.
Contested integration: hegemony projects in the field of education in Austria
Policy translations of citizen participation and new public governance: the case of school governing bodies
A new focus for left-Wing Parties: The salience of low-Wage work In the electoral manifestos of OECD countries
Party Politics, Ahead of Print.
The recent mobilization by Living wage movements and unions to raise minimum wages have put the issue of low-wage work at the center of political debates in several countries. To study the position of political parties on this issue, we use electoral manifestos from 18 western democracies from 1990 to 2019. The results show that left-wing parties mention much more often the issue of low-wage work than right-wing parties, especially in countries with a weak degree of corporatism. The different categories of respectively left- and right-wing parties are quite similar in their mentions of low-wage work issues. However, ecologist parties mention low-wage work issues less often than other left parties and radical left parties tend to make broad criticisms of low-wage work more often than center-left parties.
The recent mobilization by Living wage movements and unions to raise minimum wages have put the issue of low-wage work at the center of political debates in several countries. To study the position of political parties on this issue, we use electoral manifestos from 18 western democracies from 1990 to 2019. The results show that left-wing parties mention much more often the issue of low-wage work than right-wing parties, especially in countries with a weak degree of corporatism. The different categories of respectively left- and right-wing parties are quite similar in their mentions of low-wage work issues. However, ecologist parties mention low-wage work issues less often than other left parties and radical left parties tend to make broad criticisms of low-wage work more often than center-left parties.