Mobilising support when the stakes are high: Mass emails affect constituent-to-legislator lobbying

Mass emails are frequently used by advocacy groups to mobilise supporters to lobby legislators. But how effective are they at inducing constituent-to-legislator lobbying when the stakes are high? We test the efficacy of a large-scale email campaign conducted by the UK's main anti-Brexit organisation. In 2019, the group prominently displayed a ‘Write to your MP’ tool on their website and assigned 119,362 supporters represented by legislators with incongruent views to one of four email messages encouraging them to write to their MP or a control condition (no email). Messages varied across two factors: whether the MP's incongruent position was highlighted, and if urgency was emphasised. We find that 3.4 per cent of treatment subjects contacted their representative, compared to 0.1 per cent of those in the control, representing an additional 3,344 emails sent to MPs. We show that there was no substitution away from the most frequently used online legislator contact platform in the United Kingdom. While, on average, position and urgency cues had no marginal effects above the standard email, the most engaged supporters were more mobilised when informed that their MP held incongruent views. This study shows that advocacy groups can use low-cost communication techniques to mobilise supporters to lobby representatives when the stakes are high.     

EFFECTIVENESS OF DRUG TREATMENT COURTS: EVIDENCE FROM A RANDOMIZED TRIAL*

Research Summary: Study randomly assigned 235 offenders to drug treatment court (DTC) or “treatment as usual.” Analyses of official records collected over a two‐year follow‐up period show that DTC is reducing crime in a population of drug‐addicted offenders. DTC subjects who participated in treatment were significantly less likely to recidivate than were both untreated drug court subjects and control subjects. Policy Implications: Continued enthusiasm for DTCs is warranted. Both sanctions and treatment are important elements of the DTC model. However, DTCs will not necessarily result in cost reductions because DTC and control cases are incarcerated for approximately equal numbers of days. Implementation fidelity is important, and DTCs can be strengthened if they engage a higher percentage of their clients in drug treatment.     

THE LOCAL ELECTIONS IN KWAZULU-NATAL: 26 JUNE 1996

The transformation of local government is an essential partof democratization in South Africa. The difficulties of restructuringagainst a background of exclusion, inequality and conflict aresharpened and complicated in KwaZulu-Natal by the conflict betweenthe ANC and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). The thrice-postponedlocal elections, which finally took place in June 1996 (sevenmonths later than most of the rest of the country) representedthe first major test of party strength in the province sincethe disputed general election of April 1994. The principal result of the election was that the IFP remainedthe majority party in KwaZulu-Natal, but with a severe lossof support in the urban areas, which was compensated for byan even bigger turn-out in its rural strongholds. The balanceof power revealed by the local election results will be influentialin determining the course of the peace process, through whichthe ANC and the WP are addressing their differences. As SouthAfrica's parties move from the era of negotiation and constitution-makingand look forward to the 1999 general election, the results ofthe KwaZulu-Natal local elections will also provide some cluesas to the prospects of party realignment.