The internal‐external marketing orientation of a political party: social implications of political party marketing orientation

This paper attempts to examine and define marketing's role and significance in the political arena and understand the social implications of political marketing more appropriately. A case study was undertaken to examine a major Australian political party's marketing orientation using key facets of the Kotler and Andreasen (1991) typology of internal versus external orientation and the Kohli and Jaworski (1990) market orientation perspective. An examination of this nature has previously not been undertaken in the area of political marketing to explore the social marketing issues from the marketer's perspective. The findings indicate significant issues for parties and marketing researchers to consider in relation to marketing and market orientation of political parties. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications     

A physical therapy environment design concept for children with cerebral palsy in accordance with patient behavior and therapy effectiveness

This research aims to study the effects of interior environmental features on the effectiveness of physical therapy among children with cerebral palsy. The research assumes that interior environment primarily determines the central attention of the patients, which further institutes the level of cooperation and thus the effectiveness of therapy. Distinctive interior settings in three state hospitals are utilized to test the effects of different environmental settings on child patients＇ level of attention. A ＇~structured observation＂ together with an ＂achievement rating＂, measured by the patients＇ cooperative level, are utilized to gauge the success of therapy conducted within the three different environmental settings. Statistical result reveals a pattern of correlative linkages among the interior features, the level of central attention and the effectiveness of therapy. Behavioral responses are found to be positively correlated with the level of patient cooperation. The analysis of behavioral response discloses three types of environmental stimuli--crowding in the treatment rooms, present of particular interior features such as windows, and activities outside the treatment rooms visible to the patients. Desirable response is also found to be increasing along with the number of interior stimulus features. A design guideline for treatment room is finally established. Two groups of interior environmental features could be manipulated to elevate the effectiveness of therapy--the physical environment which includes room size, and the spatial location of therapy activities within the interior environment.     

Value Creation in Political Exchanges: A Qualitative Study

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how voters conceptualize value in political exchanges. The study used 10 in-depth interviews to penetrate the world view of participants to determine how they construct value and meaning in political exchanges. The findings 5 suggest that value in political exchanges operates at both a process and outcome level. Specifically, value was found to comprise economic, societal, altruistic, social, and expedient components. This research calls for a strategic redefinition of how politicians and political consultants offer value to voters in political exchanges.     

Economic hardship and social capital in Europe: A comparative analysis of 27 democracies

This article evaluates whether economic hardship affects social capital in Europe. Comparing 27 European countries, it evaluates the impact of personal experiences of economic hardship on engagement in voluntary associations as a cornerstone of civic and democratic life. Empirical analyses of the Eurobarometer data indicate that individual economic hardship has indeed a negative effect on associational volunteering in Europe. However, the result is qualified in two respects. First, it is found that the effect of individual economic hardship is contingent upon education. Second, this effect mostly refers to volunteering for associations providing solidarity goods (Putnam groups). These results have broader implications for understanding how economic hardship shapes the social capital within democratic societies.     

政社关系的理顺与法治化塑造——社会组织参与社区治理的空间与进路

在城市社区治理中,政府与社会组织间失衡错位的关系是社区治理困境产生的根源。因此,理顺政府与社会组织间的关系是破解社区治理困境的重点,而法治正是理顺这一关系的重要工具。法治规则能明确地限定政府与社会组织间的互动路径,并控制政府与社会组织关系的基本走向。政府与社会组织间存在的指导、帮助与支持关系,分别对应了政府的监管、兜底与培育责任,并限定了政府介入社区治理的基本界限。在这样的关系之下,社会组织参与社区治理的可为空间广阔。与此同时,还可以通过法律赋权进一步拓展社会组织的可为空间。     

Retrenchment of Social Policy by Other Means: A Comparison of Agricultural and Housing Policy in Turkey

Abstract

In many low- and middle-income countries, conventional welfare state institutions provide social protection only for the formally employed. In contrast, the rural and urban poor are often protected by “social policy by other means”. Based on a comparative analysis of two major unconventional welfare programs in Turkey, agricultural state support and access to squatter housing, this article explains retrenchment of social policy by other means. Agricultural retrenchment was the result of coercive policy transfer from international organizations in a post-crisis context, while the retrenchment of squatter housing was driven by domestic political entrepreneurs responding to decreases in the availability of urban land and the number of informal squatters. In both cases, retrenchment became politically sustainable due to functional replacement with more conventional welfare programs. This analysis challenges the narrow focus of mainstream welfare state research, provides an explanation of retrenchment of social policy by other means, and enhances our understanding of Turkey’s uneven welfare state development.     

Reconsidering the Effects of Bonding Social Capital: A Closer Look at Black Civil Society Institutions in America

Few studies consider how Putnam’s bridging and bonding social capital arguments apply to voluntary associations within American minority group communities. Consequently, I examine African-American civic groups to explore Putnam’s claims about the potential negative political effects of bonding social capital. In contrast to the bonding social capital thesis, I argue that black communal associations encourage African-Americans to be involved in a variety of mainstream civic and political activities that reach beyond their own group interests. Using the 1993–1994 National Black Politics Study I demonstrate that although black organizations are predominantly composed of African-Americans and work to advance their interests, these goals are not pursued at the expense of connecting blacks to others in the general polity.

Studying Peace in and with Central Eurasia: Starting from Local and Trans-Local Perspectives

ABSTRACT

In view of a crisis of liberal universalism peace research must reflect on how it is perceived, how peace is constructed in other places and how it can cope with diversity in ordering and peacebuilding. This Special Issue is an attempt to search starting points for peace research in and with Central Eurasia. The introductory concept clears a path through current research questions, normative problems and barriers of knowledge production. Considering ethnographic methodologies, it starts from the local everyday and takes an interest in how actors and institutions in concrete places and multiple socio-spatial configurations navigate conflict and peace.     

Spanish-language print media in the USA: A social semiotic analysis of ideological representations in photojournalism

Although Spanish-language media in the USA have grown rapidly since the turn of the century, little scholarship has been dedicated to the semiotic characteristics of these media. This study examines the visual representation of ideologies in 15 news photographs published in Spanish-language print media in the Midwest of the USA with the goals of understanding how ideologies are expressed visually in a culture that has received little treatment in the previous literature and of determining the potential for these photographs to challenge the negative semiotic treatment of Latin@ immigrants in the USA. Following a critical social semiotic approach, the analysis demonstrates how ideologies pattern around the inclusion and exclusion of Latin@s. These ideologies challenge and perpetuate the hegemonic structure, respectively, and as such, indicate the potential for local Spanish-language print media to challenge the negative semiotic representation of Latin@s in the USA while pointing to the need for future research of minoritized media using the social semiotics framework.     

A balance between candidate- and party-centric representation under mixed-member systems: The evidence from voter behavior in Taiwan

Mixed-member systems are usually defined as electoral systems that combine SMDP and CLPR, both of which are more likely to induce party reputation-seeking. Building on the literature of electoral institutions, this article provides an explanation of how mixed-member systems structure voter behavior and achieve a balance between candidate- and party-centric representation. Using Taiwan as a case of MMS, this article tests hypotheses against survey data and investigates the determinants of voting decisions for the two ballots. By employing a Bayesian bivariate probit model, this article shows that, first, partisan factors affect voter behavior in both nominal and list ballots. However, it is affective rather than rational considerations for political parties that play the major role. Second, personal reputation influences voters' choices of the nominal and list vote, but only negative elements matter for the list vote. Finally, there is a moderately positive correlation between the two ballots, which potentially results from affective, partisan considerations.     

集体行动困境的应对之道--以广州市老旧小区加装电梯工作为例

老旧小区加装电梯是一项面向特定空间、特定人群的准公共产品,居民协商是实现这一公共产品供给的集体行动,但居民的个体理性会导致实施时出现集体行动困境。广州是国内较早开展这项工作的城市,通过访谈和政策内容分析梳理广州市老旧小区加装电梯的工作历程,结合集体行动理论分析老旧小区加装电梯面临的协商规模和价值偏好的困境,并在此基础上进一步探讨居民协商集体行动困境的破解之策。广州市的经验不仅为其他城市老旧小区加装电梯提供了借鉴,也为今后通过制度设计促成居民集体行动、推进城镇老旧小区改造工作,形成社区治理的长效机制提供了有益的启示。