Party Politics, Ahead of Print.
Populism is often seen as a threat to liberal democracy because of its rejection of constitutional constraints and emphasis on popular sovereignty. Others argue that populism is a corrective to mainstream politics and not necessarily anti-democratic. While the relationship between populism and democracy is widely debated in theory and empirically assessed by estimating the effect of populist rule, we analyse discursive references to democracy in election manifestos and tweets of populist radical right (PRRP) and populist radical left (PRLP) parties in seven Western European countries. By mapping populists’ discourses on democracy across electoral, liberal, participatory, deliberative and egalitarian dimensions, we find that PRLP elaborate a more coherent understanding of democracy (especially its participatory and egalitarian dimensions) and do not reject any dimension. PRRP hardly elaborate on any dimension except participation. PRRP appear as ‘void’ democrats with ambivalent and incoherent credentials, which at times reject and instrumentalise democracy.
Putting on a Show? The Sovereignty of De Facto States Between Performativity, Performance and Virtuality
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Returning to Hedley Bull: Necessity as an approach for defining primary institutions
Journal of International Political Theory, Volume 20, Issue 1, Page 41-65, February 2024.
This article critiques and builds upon existing notions of primary institutions within the English School, arguing for a return to Bullian notions of “necessity”—namely the minimum institutional requirements for international order—when defining the primary institutions of international society. By using notions of necessity this work seeks to develop a functional typology for primary institutions that is capable of accommodating variation and change across different historical and regional contexts. It also seeks to provide a similar functional framework for an English School understanding of domestic society and the state. This development of English School thinking aims to highlight the interrelated nature of domestic and international norms and practices, as well as highlighting the role of domestic norms in shaping the outlook of international relations practitioners.
This article critiques and builds upon existing notions of primary institutions within the English School, arguing for a return to Bullian notions of “necessity”—namely the minimum institutional requirements for international order—when defining the primary institutions of international society. By using notions of necessity this work seeks to develop a functional typology for primary institutions that is capable of accommodating variation and change across different historical and regional contexts. It also seeks to provide a similar functional framework for an English School understanding of domestic society and the state. This development of English School thinking aims to highlight the interrelated nature of domestic and international norms and practices, as well as highlighting the role of domestic norms in shaping the outlook of international relations practitioners.
Framing Dalits in Sikh Religion and History
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
This work is an enquiry into the role and status of the Dalits or the Untouchable castes among the Sikhs. An attempt has been made to trace the ‘Dalit history’ with reference to the works dealing with the issues of caste and Dalits in the Sikh social system. The various sections of the article have covered studies which, on the one hand, emphasize on the denial of the caste system among the Sikhs, highlighting its egalitarian nature and on the other hand there are studies focusing on the existence of caste in Sikhism.
This work is an enquiry into the role and status of the Dalits or the Untouchable castes among the Sikhs. An attempt has been made to trace the ‘Dalit history’ with reference to the works dealing with the issues of caste and Dalits in the Sikh social system. The various sections of the article have covered studies which, on the one hand, emphasize on the denial of the caste system among the Sikhs, highlighting its egalitarian nature and on the other hand there are studies focusing on the existence of caste in Sikhism.
COMMENTARY – THE STATE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN SOUTH AFRICA APPROACHING 30 YEARS OF POST-APARTHEID DEMOCRACY: SUCCESSES, FAILURES, AND PROSPECTS
World Affairs, Ahead of Print.
As South Africa approaches 30 years of democracy, it is important to pause to reflect and analyze the trajectory of human rights since the fall of the apartheid regime and the advent of multiracial democracy. Although there was a large global movement against apartheid, this movement's vigilance for human rights in South Africa quickly declined and dissolved with the advent of South African democracy. There is little critical engagement with South Africa's contemporary human rights record and policies by global human rights activists, nongovernmental organizations, and civil society and still less active campaigning in defense of the human rights of South Africans, especially South Africa's most vulnerable and disadvantaged black majority. The energy that was summoned to protest apartheid and to boycott it never returned since the advent of democracy. This commentary explores the current state of human rights in South Africa, their prospects, and challenges to their respect, protection, and fulfillment.
As South Africa approaches 30 years of democracy, it is important to pause to reflect and analyze the trajectory of human rights since the fall of the apartheid regime and the advent of multiracial democracy. Although there was a large global movement against apartheid, this movement's vigilance for human rights in South Africa quickly declined and dissolved with the advent of South African democracy. There is little critical engagement with South Africa's contemporary human rights record and policies by global human rights activists, nongovernmental organizations, and civil society and still less active campaigning in defense of the human rights of South Africans, especially South Africa's most vulnerable and disadvantaged black majority. The energy that was summoned to protest apartheid and to boycott it never returned since the advent of democracy. This commentary explores the current state of human rights in South Africa, their prospects, and challenges to their respect, protection, and fulfillment.
Peake, Jeffrey S. Dysfunctional Diplomacy: The Politics of International Agreements in an Era of Partisan Polarization
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Book review: The Godless Crusade. Religion, Populism and Right-Wing Identity Politics in the West
Party Politics, Ahead of Print.
Does public service motivation truly predict dishonesty? Behavioural evidence from the private and public sectors
International Review of Administrative Sciences, Ahead of Print.
The number of studies on the relationship between public service motivation and ethics is increasing. Although research consistently finds evidence for a positive public service motivation–ethical intentions relationship, research on public service motivation and unethical behaviour remains scarce and showcases mixed findings. Based on insights from person–environment fit theory, we argue that the sector in which an individual is employed may help explain these mixed findings. We test this assumption by employing an incentivized dice game among private and public sector workers (n = 576). Using a well-powered research design we find neither support for the public service motivation–ethical behaviour relationship, nor for the sector as an intervening variable. We discuss the implications of these interesting null findings, which challenge the common assumption that public servants are morally superior to private sector workers.Points for practitioners(Human resource) managers of both private and public sector organizations need to be aware of the fact that employees engage in behavioural dishonesty (i.e. cheating). Contrary to the often-heard assumption, we find no evidence that public service motivation serves as a buffer for this specific type of unethical behaviour. This means that stimulating public service motivation or recruiting public-service motivated individuals does not help to reduce the risk of behavioural dishonesty. Rather, (human resource) managers can invest in other measures to limit this type of unethical behaviour such as ethical leadership and an ethical climate.
The number of studies on the relationship between public service motivation and ethics is increasing. Although research consistently finds evidence for a positive public service motivation–ethical intentions relationship, research on public service motivation and unethical behaviour remains scarce and showcases mixed findings. Based on insights from person–environment fit theory, we argue that the sector in which an individual is employed may help explain these mixed findings. We test this assumption by employing an incentivized dice game among private and public sector workers (n = 576). Using a well-powered research design we find neither support for the public service motivation–ethical behaviour relationship, nor for the sector as an intervening variable. We discuss the implications of these interesting null findings, which challenge the common assumption that public servants are morally superior to private sector workers.Points for practitioners(Human resource) managers of both private and public sector organizations need to be aware of the fact that employees engage in behavioural dishonesty (i.e. cheating). Contrary to the often-heard assumption, we find no evidence that public service motivation serves as a buffer for this specific type of unethical behaviour. This means that stimulating public service motivation or recruiting public-service motivated individuals does not help to reduce the risk of behavioural dishonesty. Rather, (human resource) managers can invest in other measures to limit this type of unethical behaviour such as ethical leadership and an ethical climate.
The Second Cold War: US-China Competition for Centrality in Infrastructure, Digital, Production, and Finance Networks
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The party system effects of unstable electoral rules in Latin America
Party Politics, Ahead of Print.
Prior studies have shown that electoral rules fail to determine the number of parties in new democracies due to the uncertainty of voters and politicians about which parties are viable. Latin American democracies, where electoral volatility has generally remained high and party institutionalization low, have been a primary example of this phenomenon. We argue that even in shifting political environments the fragmentation of the party system is likely to become consistent with the permissiveness of electoral rules and the level of social diversity as voters and party leaders accumulate experience with elections and the rate of electoral regime change declines. We find support for these propositions analyzing an original dataset on Latin American democratic elections. This article contributes to research on electoral systems and political parties by identifying the conditions under which equilibrium electoral outcomes can be expected after a transition to democracy in unstable institutional settings.
Prior studies have shown that electoral rules fail to determine the number of parties in new democracies due to the uncertainty of voters and politicians about which parties are viable. Latin American democracies, where electoral volatility has generally remained high and party institutionalization low, have been a primary example of this phenomenon. We argue that even in shifting political environments the fragmentation of the party system is likely to become consistent with the permissiveness of electoral rules and the level of social diversity as voters and party leaders accumulate experience with elections and the rate of electoral regime change declines. We find support for these propositions analyzing an original dataset on Latin American democratic elections. This article contributes to research on electoral systems and political parties by identifying the conditions under which equilibrium electoral outcomes can be expected after a transition to democracy in unstable institutional settings.