What explains regional variation in election fraud? Evidence from Russia: a research note

The December 2011 legislative election was among the most fraudulent national elections in Russia since the communist period. The fraud, however, was not evenly spread across the country. Precinct-level election returns from the 83 regions of the Russian Federation suggest that the level of fraud ranged from minimal or small in some regions to extreme in some others, with moderate to high fraud levels in many regions in between. We argue that in an electoral authoritarian context like Russia, regional variation in fraud can be explained by differences in (a) the perceived need by regional authorities to signal loyalty to the center by “delivering” desired election results; (b) the capacity of regional authorities to organize fraud; and (c) the vulnerability of citizens to political pressure and manipulation. We test the effect of signaling, capacity, and vulnerability on electoral fraud in the 2011 legislative elections with data on the 83 regions of the Russian Federation. We find evidence for all three mechanisms, finding that the tenure of governors in office, United Russia's dominance in regional legislatures, and the ethnic composition of regions are most important for explaining regional variation in electoral fraud.     

Parliamentary scrutiny as a function of interparliamentary cooperation among subnational parliaments

ABSTRACT

The paper analyses the scrutiny activities of three different types of institutionalised form of interparliamentary cooperation with participation of subnational parliaments: the Conference of European Legislative Assemblies; the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference; and the Interregional Parliamentary Council of the Grande Région. For the purpose of analysis, the analytical parameters of parliamentary functions are modified and applied to the forms of institutionalised interparliamentary cooperation. It is shown that the exertion of scrutiny activities increases in relation to the age and institutionalisation of an interparliamentary cooperation. Ex ante control, which may consist of as little as demands, develops more easily than ex post control. Moreover, the exercise of the scrutiny function becomes more difficult when the level(s) that populate(s) the interparliamentary cooperation is/are not congruent with the level(s) that populate(s) the executive body of the respective international organisation. Interparliamentary cooperation of subnational parliaments struggles to scrutinise an organisation in which national executives play a major role.     

基于两岸四地警务合作的警学研讨话语体系之建构

两岸四地警学研讨机制需要梳理、研究和改进,科学建构警学研讨话语体系是系统解决相关问题的重要条件。可通以过规划话语主题,整合合作目标;巩固话语基础,营造合作环境;构建话语平台,推动合作深入;形成话语成果,促进推广应用,使两岸四地警学研讨在更广阔的领域有更科学、持久的发展,为深化两岸四地警务合作和促进经济社会繁荣稳定服务。     

High‐Resolution Melting (HRM) of Hypervariable Mitochondrial DNA Regions for Forensic Science

Forensic strategies commonly are proceeding by analysis of short tandem repeats (STRs); however, new additional strategies have been proposed for forensic science. Thus, this article standardized the high‐resolution melting (HRM) of DNA for forensic analyzes. For HRM, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from eight individuals were extracted from mucosa swabs by DNAzol reagent, samples were amplified by PCR and submitted to HRM analysis to identify differences in hypervariable (HV) regions I and II. To confirm HRM, all PCR products were DNA sequencing. The data suggest that is possible discriminate DNA from different samples by HRM curves. Also, uncommon dual‐dissociation was identified in a single PCR product, increasing HRM analyzes by evaluation of melting peaks. Thus, HRM is accurate and useful to screening small differences in HVI and HVII regions from mtDNA and increase the efficiency of laboratory routines based on forensic genetics.     

西部民族地区中观经济信息化间接绩效测评

当今时代,信息技术、信息资源在经济社会各个领域的高度渗透性,使得信息化成为推进经济社会快速发展的核心动力。信息化绩效的测评理应科学、完整地反映信息化在经济社会的宏观、中观、微观不同层次以及各层次中的直接、间接功能发挥的状况,做到宏观、中观、微观绩效评估,直接、间接绩效评估的有机结合。在此,我们着重就我国西部民族地区中观经济信息化间接绩效水平进行测评与比较研究。     

Russia’s local government in the process of authoritarian regime transformation: incentives for the survival of local democracy

In 2003, the authorities of Russia launched a comprehensive reform of local government. One of the elements of this reform was the replacement of the previously predominant form of local government, characterised by the presence of directly elected mayors, with the council-manager model. While originally motivated largely by the desire to enhance the efficacy of local government, the reform was implemented concurrently with Russia’s transition to electoral authoritarianism, with the council-manager model emerging as a major tool of authoritarian transformation. This study uses the data from 79 capitals of Russia’s regions in order to identify those factors that facilitated the survival of directly elected mayors in these cities. The analysis reveals that the past trajectories of regime transitions at the regional level in the form of elite settlement, economic resourcefulness, and the lack of politically motivated deference to the federal authorities contributed to the survival of local democracy in Russia.     

西南佛教的典型意义

西南地区的佛教有汉传佛教、藏传佛教和南传上座部佛教三种,另外云南还曾流行过阿阇梨教.西南因其濒临佛教发祥地,是佛教传入中国的首经之地,其向西南渗入并拓展的过程,即是佛教中国化、民族化的过程.佛教对中国的影响,以西南为最典型.     

少数民族地区基层政权的环境分析

少数民族地区基层政权是我国政权体系的重要组成部分。从系统论及其政治生态学的观点看 ,少数民族地区基层政权系统之外必然存在着特有的政治、经济、文化等环境要素。这些环境要素对少数民族基层政权系统的活动内容及方式产生着直接或间接的制约和影响。少数民族基层政权系统的活动必须充分估计与认识这种制约和影响 ,才能更有效地改造环境要素 ,从而加快少数民族地区的发展步伐     

广西大石山区推进社会主义新农村建设的若干思考

大石山区贫困县由于历史和地理等因素的制约,经济发展滞后,与发达地区相比,有较大的差距,党的十七大把坚持发展现代农业、繁荣农村经济作为首要任务,加强农村基础设施建设,健全农村市场和农业服务体系的决策,为大石山区社会主义新农村建设提供了理论指南和政策导向。在贫困大石山区建设社会主义新农村,各级政府应该以科学发展观为指导,以发展农村经济为中心。扎实推进大石山区新农村建设。     

The Impact of Gravity-Weighted Knowledge Spillovers on Productivity in Manufacturing

This paper tests for localized knowledge spillovers from out-of-state innovations in U.S. manufacturing from 1977 to 1997. The source of these spillovers is innovations categorized into six technologies based on U.S. patent classes and patent data. Using a gravity-weighting for out-of-state innovations, knowledge spillovers are found from mechanical technologies and drug and medical technologies for a broad group of manufacturing industries. Innovations from chemical-related technologies are found to generate spillovers for the Chemical and Allied Products Industry and for the Transportation Equipment Industry. Additionally, specialization of production at the two-digit Standard Industrial Classification of industry level is also found to increase state-level productivity in manufacturing.