The price of personalizing politics: Political distrust and economic performance in Latin America, 1996–2006

While research has provided evidence that culture and institutional performance shape individual level trust in political institutions, scholars have neglected to adequately estimate the effect of political institutions and macroeconomic conditions on trust. Using data from the World Value Surveys for eleven Latin American cases, we test if countries with “partyizing” electoral systems - those with rules that encourage voters to hold the party, not individuals, accountable for government performance - experience lower levels of distrust in political parties and the legislature in times of poor economic conditions than those countries with “personalizing” electoral rules. Our analysis shows that the macro political and economic context largely conditions the impact of culture and institutional performance on political trust.     

Individual and contextual variation in EU issue voting: The role of political information

Increasing politicization in EU member states about European issues can be expected to strengthen the impact of attitudes towards Europe on vote choice in European Parliament (EP) elections. At the same time this impact is likely to vary between voters and contexts as a function of political information. This study explores the role of political information in explaining individual and contextual heterogeneity in the degree of EU issue voting. Using a two-step hierarchical estimation procedure to explore both individual and contextual variation, we show that while EU issue voting in the 2009 EP elections is only slightly more pronounced among the politically sophisticated, it is clearly more extensive in contexts that provide higher levels of political information on European matters.     

Public opinion, party messages, and responsibility for the financial crisis in Britain

The political consequences of the crisis in world financial markets are only beginning to be understood. In this article, we take up one of these many repercussions by examining public beliefs of who’s to blame for a complex and unparalleled set of events. Analyses of survey data from Britain find that while most assign responsibility for the crisis to market actors, the likelihood of blaming governments, as opposed to blaming banks and investors, is greater among low sophisticates and Conservative Party identifiers. We further show how elite messages from competing political elites evolved over-time and were reflected in mass beliefs about the crisis. Results highlight the centrality of partisan cues and, in particular, of political sophistication in understanding the dynamics of responsibility attributions. Lastly, we estimate the consequences of blaming the government for the crisis for voter choice.     

论政治和谐视阈下九三学社核心价值观的构建

核心价值观是现代政党的立党之本,核心价值观是保持九三学社参政党特点和优势的根本,是开发九三学社参政党功能的关键,但非竞争性政党制度的内生缺陷,九三学社自身发展的不足,制约了九三学社核心价值观形成。因此,在九三学社核心价值观的构建中,要以社会主义核心价值体系为引领,重视主体需要的层次性,强化参政党理论建设,夯实构建九三学社核心价值观的根基。     

行政过程中相对人程序性权利的价值

行政相对人的概念已逐步被人们所接受,对其进行更深入的研究是行政法学进一步发展的需要。现代社会对人权的普遍重视反映到行政法中就要求我们尊重和保护行政相对人权利。而现在对行政相对人权利的研究大多是在立法领域与司法领域中,时行政过程中相对人权利的研究却不多,因此,有必要对行政过程进行界定,在此基础上,对行政相对人程序性权利的价值进行分析,目的在于明确其在行政法学理论与实践中不可缺少的地位。程序性权利作为一项没有引起人们足够关注的权利,必将随着人权观念和公民权利观念的发展而日益深入人心。     

和谐社会视域下的农村政治文化建设

农村政治文化建设是新农村建设的内在要求。当前,宗族观念盛行、民主法制观念淡薄、政治参与意识淡薄等因素制约着农村政治文化的发展。发展农村政治文化,应进在促进农村经济发展的基础上,加强相应制度建设,加强对农民的政治教育,并拓展农民政治参与的渠道,引导其积极参与民主政治的实践。     

苗族青少年政治社会化的实证研究——以贵州紫云县为例

紫云县是一个苗族布依族自治县。受地理位置、自然条件等诸多因素的影响,该县目前还是一个国家级的贫困县。生长在这里的苗族青少年,其政治社会化在带有青少年政治社会化的一般性之时,也形成了自己独特的民族特质。     

社会转型过程中我国政治权威合法性论析

在我国社会转型的过程中,政治权威合法性面临一定的困境,主要表现为宪政健全与发展不足,国家的符号解释能力和可信度受到一定程度置疑,经济绩效的＂政绩困局＂和政治腐败现象损害合法性基础。解决路径在于国家政治权威合法性的制度创新,即建立起国家权力的相对自主性机制、国家行动能力的适度有效性机制和国家权威的制度化合法性机制。通过制度创新确立国家权力、国家行动能力和国家权威的限度,以期政治权威合法性得以重构。     

高校青年机关干部担任兼职辅导员制度刍议

兼职辅导员是辅导员队伍中不可或缺的重要组成部分。在当前形势下,按照＂专职为主、专兼结合、优势互补＂的原则,从高校机关青年干部中吸收优秀人才充实辅导员队伍,对加强高校大学生思想政治教育、引导大学生全面发展、维护高校和社会稳定等方面,发挥着重要作用。     

浅析公安政治工作信息化建设

信息化的发展给公安政治工作带来前所未有的变革,公安政治工作信息化代表着公安政治工作的未来和方向,如何进行信息化建设是公安机关政工部门急需深入研究的一个课题。为此,需要在对公安政治工作信息化的概念、基本特征、构成要素、当前现状和不足进行研究的基础上,提出建设规划和展望,力求解决认识上的模糊性和片面性,给公安政治工作信息化建设提供基础性的帮助。