Who is responsible? The effect of clarity of responsibility on voter turnout

Does voters’ ability to discern who is responsible for policy outcomes affect voter turnout? Although particular institutional arrangements which influence this ability – known as clarity of responsibility – appear to affect how voters form retrospective judgements, existing literature is less informed about its role on voter turnout. This article argues that voters tend to turn out less if they cannot discern who is responsible for policy outcomes. This lack of clarity hinders the process of retrospective evaluations, makes the electoral stakes less profound, and dampens the voters’ political efficacy. Using 396 elections in 34 established democracies between 1960 and 2015, it is found that lower clarity of responsibility is associated with lower voter turnout. This study highlights the importance of clarity of responsibility, as it enhances democratic accountability, not only by encouraging retrospective voting, but also by increasing political participation.     

民主的蝴蝶：一个权力分享的角度

权力是政治的最核心的本质要素,也构成民主理论研究的基本视角.从这一角度出发,民主政治最根本的诉求是对权力的分享.本文通过回顾民主理论的历史演进与嬗变,探讨了民主的原初定义、民主与共和的融合以及民主技术化的制度实现路径,提出以科学民主理论为指导,为中国本土化的民主政治发展注入新的活力.     

新闻报道与民主建设的关系思考

随着我国经济的高速发展,公众价值观念得到了很大的改变,而民主意识的崛起则是其重要的组成部分。以现实变动为己任的新闻传媒,理应坦然面对并积极报道。十七大提出的"健全民主制度、丰富民主形式,拓宽民主渠道",对建设社会主义民主政治具有重要的指导意义,新闻传播应努力为之宣传、呐喊,并为保障公众的知情权、拓展公众的民主理念、健全与完善社会政治生活而发挥重要的推进作用。     

Explaining the European Parliament’s gains in the EU Constitution

The Constitutional Treaty, like each set of reforms since the Single European Act, would constitute another incremental increase in the European Parliament’s powers. But the Parliament did not get everything it wanted. What we do in this paper is investigate why the European Parliament tends to ‘win’ in some areas but not in others. We consider five possible explanations and test these theories by looking at the issues the Parliament promoted in the constitutional negotiations and the factors that determined whether the Parliament was successful or not in a particular area. We find that the Parliament gains power in areas where the governments delegate new powers to the EU and are uncertain about the consequences of this delegation. We also find that public support for the Parliament played a role in the extension of the Parliament’s powers in the Constitution.

论民主成本

民主成本问题关系到社会主义民主政治建设能否健康发展。民主成本主要由制度成本、实行成本、机会成本、风险成本等构成;影响民主成本的因素主要包括历史文化传统及城乡差别,制度因素,社会因素,科技发展水平等;控制民主成本的对策主要包括树立民主成本意识,推进宪政建设,构建中国特色的民主模式,建立民主成本的分析、评价、监督与责任机制,发展民间组织。     

西方社会主义流派中的政府角色理解

当代西方较有代表性的几种社会主义流派中,对政府角色的定位各不相同;在同一种社会主义思潮的不同阶段,对政府角色的理解也在随着现实情况的变化而发生着变迁。探讨其中种种差异,对于我国现阶段政府的重新定位、职能的转换等问题的研究有一定的借鉴作用。