Party Politics, Ahead of Print.
What explains women’s underrepresentation in first-past-the-post compared to at-large elections? While existing studies emphasize candidate experience or party nomination to competitive districts, we argue that local party selectors are more likely to desire women to have a type of political experience that signals their connection to the national party. To test our argument, we use a novel dataset of over 10,000 local candidates nominated by South Africa’s African National Congress party. In South Africa’s Mixed Member Proportional system, we find that compared to men, women are more likely to be nominated in FPTP elections after having previous experience as PR councillors. Previous PR experience is distinct from other forms of experience such as incumbency, and contextual factors such as pre-electoral intra-party violence do not explain women’s nomination to FPTP seats. These findings contribute to our understanding of how electoral systems impact parties’ nomination of female candidates at the local level.
Democracy in the post-truth era: restoring faith in expertise
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Networks, space and belonging: the Marwaris in Manipur
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Whose Valmiki?
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The roots of sacred spiritual knowledge of Indian traditions lead one back to the Vedas, Puranas, Shrutis, Ramayana, Mahabharata and other mythical works that were transmitted orally by the Aryan scholars. Such scholars invented countless stories related to the birth, caste and death of a classical character but such narratives are challenged by modern scholars when examined from comparative methods, logical reasoning, rational angle and scientific perspective. One of such stories is the birth and caste of Valmiki, the creator of Ramayana. As per Puranas and Shrutis, Valmiki was a Brahmin but Sikh and Oriental scholars oppose the view by declaring him a Dalit who later became the guru of sweepers. The question of Valmiki’s caste evolved into one of the most fiercely disputed subjects in the twentieth century, and the controversy at the turn of the new century led to numerous lawsuits, court cases and litigations. Having orientation towards the controversy, this article aims to solve the puzzle by scrutinizing the aforementioned texts and scholars’ views from four different languages: Sanskrit, Hindi, Punjabi and English. The hypothesis will decode the enigma of Valmiki Jayanti and different propagandas related to the caste of poet Valmiki and Valmiki, the community. The conclusion will emphasize the difference between written texts and myths of the Indian knowledge system.
The roots of sacred spiritual knowledge of Indian traditions lead one back to the Vedas, Puranas, Shrutis, Ramayana, Mahabharata and other mythical works that were transmitted orally by the Aryan scholars. Such scholars invented countless stories related to the birth, caste and death of a classical character but such narratives are challenged by modern scholars when examined from comparative methods, logical reasoning, rational angle and scientific perspective. One of such stories is the birth and caste of Valmiki, the creator of Ramayana. As per Puranas and Shrutis, Valmiki was a Brahmin but Sikh and Oriental scholars oppose the view by declaring him a Dalit who later became the guru of sweepers. The question of Valmiki’s caste evolved into one of the most fiercely disputed subjects in the twentieth century, and the controversy at the turn of the new century led to numerous lawsuits, court cases and litigations. Having orientation towards the controversy, this article aims to solve the puzzle by scrutinizing the aforementioned texts and scholars’ views from four different languages: Sanskrit, Hindi, Punjabi and English. The hypothesis will decode the enigma of Valmiki Jayanti and different propagandas related to the caste of poet Valmiki and Valmiki, the community. The conclusion will emphasize the difference between written texts and myths of the Indian knowledge system.
Barriers to digital government and the COVID-19 crisis – A comparative study of federal government entities in the United States and Austria
International Review of Administrative Sciences, Ahead of Print.
Digital government has been an evolving topic in research and practice, and during the COVID-19 crisis, different tools emerged as crucial elements in tackling the crisis. Comparing the federal level in the United States (Anglo-Saxon public interest culture) and in Austria (continental European rule-of-law culture), this article looks at how different barriers to digital government were affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Fourteen semi-structured interviews with experts in United States departments and their Austrian counterparts are conducted. The results show strong similarities between the United States and Austria in cultural barriers (bureaucratic culture, resistance to change, risk aversion) but also in structural barriers (political commitment and resources, workforce) to digital government. The main difference lies in laws and regulations as structural barriers, stemming from the different administrative traditions. Furthermore, the study highlights the dynamic nature of barriers. It shows that a crisis can result in the lowering of both structural as well as cultural barriers. Deliberate removal of structural barriers in experimentation spaces may therefore enhance digital government in ‘orderly’ times as well.Points for practitionersKnowing how to overcome certain barriers is essential in innovation processes. This study shows that windows of opportunity can be opened by a crisis, but also provides key learnings for policy measures that can be taken in ‘orderly’ times. Public administrations require space where structural barriers are deliberately removed in order to experiment and learn, which can lower cultural barriers to digital government as well.
Digital government has been an evolving topic in research and practice, and during the COVID-19 crisis, different tools emerged as crucial elements in tackling the crisis. Comparing the federal level in the United States (Anglo-Saxon public interest culture) and in Austria (continental European rule-of-law culture), this article looks at how different barriers to digital government were affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Fourteen semi-structured interviews with experts in United States departments and their Austrian counterparts are conducted. The results show strong similarities between the United States and Austria in cultural barriers (bureaucratic culture, resistance to change, risk aversion) but also in structural barriers (political commitment and resources, workforce) to digital government. The main difference lies in laws and regulations as structural barriers, stemming from the different administrative traditions. Furthermore, the study highlights the dynamic nature of barriers. It shows that a crisis can result in the lowering of both structural as well as cultural barriers. Deliberate removal of structural barriers in experimentation spaces may therefore enhance digital government in ‘orderly’ times as well.Points for practitionersKnowing how to overcome certain barriers is essential in innovation processes. This study shows that windows of opportunity can be opened by a crisis, but also provides key learnings for policy measures that can be taken in ‘orderly’ times. Public administrations require space where structural barriers are deliberately removed in order to experiment and learn, which can lower cultural barriers to digital government as well.
The 2019 local government elections in Aotearoa New Zealand
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The 2019 local government elections in Aotearoa New Zealand
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Representation of Humiliation in Bengali Dalit Literature: A Comparative Study
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
This article proposes to develop a comparatist framework of pan-Indian Dalit writings on one hand and the representative Bengali Dalit writings on the other in the context of the experience of humiliation. The chief objective of this comparison would be a close reading of the treatment of the experience of humiliation, along with its claims and contexts, in both literary traditions. Cutting across the literary genres, the main argument of this article will be to show the qualitative difference in the perception of humiliation in Dalit literary expressions and a resultant realization that Bengali Dalit experience somehow falls short of depicting the intensity of insult abundantly manifest in Marathi and other Dalit writings. Throughout the scope of this article, various factors responsible for such low decibel representation of humiliation will be taken up for detailed study with frequent references to past and present Dalit authors and their most representative studies. Another abiding engagement with the issue of humiliation, vis-a-vis the tragic demise of Chuni Kotal, will lead to questions about the muted presence of the community experience of humiliation by the erstwhile Criminal Tribe, Lodha Savar, in contemporary Bengali Dalit writings.
This article proposes to develop a comparatist framework of pan-Indian Dalit writings on one hand and the representative Bengali Dalit writings on the other in the context of the experience of humiliation. The chief objective of this comparison would be a close reading of the treatment of the experience of humiliation, along with its claims and contexts, in both literary traditions. Cutting across the literary genres, the main argument of this article will be to show the qualitative difference in the perception of humiliation in Dalit literary expressions and a resultant realization that Bengali Dalit experience somehow falls short of depicting the intensity of insult abundantly manifest in Marathi and other Dalit writings. Throughout the scope of this article, various factors responsible for such low decibel representation of humiliation will be taken up for detailed study with frequent references to past and present Dalit authors and their most representative studies. Another abiding engagement with the issue of humiliation, vis-a-vis the tragic demise of Chuni Kotal, will lead to questions about the muted presence of the community experience of humiliation by the erstwhile Criminal Tribe, Lodha Savar, in contemporary Bengali Dalit writings.
How does policy attention affect e-government performance? The role of resource allocation and public–private collaboration
International Review of Administrative Sciences, Ahead of Print.
Although governments are continually investing in e-government construction, differences in e-government performance exist. This study aims to examine how policy attention affects e-government performance through the mediating effect of resource allocation and the moderating effect of public–private collaboration. Analysis of panel data from 333 prefectural governments in China confirms that policy attention can increase e-government performance, but the effect size decreases under the mediating role of financial and human resources. Furthermore, higher public–private collaboration weakens the positive effect of government resources on e-government performance and policy attention on e-government performance.Points for practitionersThis article can help practitioners recognize the importance of policy attention in guiding e-government implementation by verifying policy attention–resource allocation–e-government performance association. Moreover, this study also provides some suggestions for practitioners seeking to collaborate with private organizations by confirming the negative role of public–private collaboration between government resources and e-government performance.
Although governments are continually investing in e-government construction, differences in e-government performance exist. This study aims to examine how policy attention affects e-government performance through the mediating effect of resource allocation and the moderating effect of public–private collaboration. Analysis of panel data from 333 prefectural governments in China confirms that policy attention can increase e-government performance, but the effect size decreases under the mediating role of financial and human resources. Furthermore, higher public–private collaboration weakens the positive effect of government resources on e-government performance and policy attention on e-government performance.Points for practitionersThis article can help practitioners recognize the importance of policy attention in guiding e-government implementation by verifying policy attention–resource allocation–e-government performance association. Moreover, this study also provides some suggestions for practitioners seeking to collaborate with private organizations by confirming the negative role of public–private collaboration between government resources and e-government performance.
The evolution of climate justice claims in global climate change negotiations under the UNFCCC
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