Territorial reforms in Europe: effects on administrative performance and democratic participation

Territorial reform is the most radical and contested reorganisation of local government. A sound evaluation of the outcome of such reforms is hence an important step to ensure the legitimation of any decision on the subject. However, in our view the discourse on the subject appears to be one sided, focusing primarily on overall fiscal effects scrutinised by economists. The contribution of this paper is hence threefold: Firstly, we provide an overview off territorial reforms in Europe, with a special focus on Eastern Germany as a promising case for cross-country comparisons. Secondly, we provide an overview of the analytical classifications of these reforms and context factors to be considered in their evaluation. And thirdly, we analyse the literature on qualitative performance effects of these reforms. The results show that territorial reforms have a significant positive impact on functional performance, while the effects on participation and integration are indeed ambivalent. In doing so, we provide substantial arguments for a broader, more inclusive discussion on the success of territorial reforms.     

Intra-Campaign Changes in Voting Preferences: The Impact of Media and Party Communication

An increasing number of citizens change and adapt their party preferences during the electoral campaign. We analyze which short-term factors explain intra-campaign changes in voting preferences, focusing on the visibility and tone of news media reporting and party canvassing. Our analyses rely on an integrative data approach, linking data from media content analysis to public opinion data. This enables us to investigate the relative impact of news media reporting as well as party communication. Inherently, we overcome previously identified methodological problems in the study of communication effects on voting behavior. Our findings reveal that campaigns matter: Especially interpersonal party canvassing increases voters’ likelihood to change their voting preferences in favor of the respective party, whereas media effects are limited to quality news outlets and depend on individual voters’ party ambivalence.     

How mass media attract political elites’ attention

Political agenda‐setting research has shown that policy makers are responsive vis‐à‐vis media priorities. However, the mechanisms behind this effect have remained understudied so far. In particular, agenda‐setting scholars have difficulties determining to what extent politicians react to media coverage purely because of the information it contains (information effect), and to what extent the effect is driven not by what the media say but by the fact that certain information is in the media (media channel effect), which is valued for its own sake – for instance, because media coverage is considered to be a reflection of public opinion. By means of a survey‐embedded experiment with Belgian, Canadian and Israeli political elites (N = 410), this study tests whether the mere fact that an issue is covered by the news media causes politicians to pay attention to this issue. It shows that a piece of information gets more attention from politicians when it comes via the media rather than an identical piece of information coming via a personal e‐mail. This effect occurs largely across the board: it is not dependent on individual politician characteristics.     

Symposium on “The nationalization of electoral politics: Frontiers of research”

This editorial introduces the theme of the symposium which addresses the most recent advances in the field of the nationalization of electoral politics. After a decade of an increasing number of contribution in this field, the symposium takes stock of the diversity of applications of nationalization studies, the progress in data collection, and its innovative methods in designs including it as both a dependent and independent variable and analyzing it both for legislative and presidential elections. The editorial reviews the growth and diversification of the literature over time and illustrates in what directions it has evolved mapping out an increasingly rich and complex theory. It links the articles of the symposium to this evolution of the literature and discusses their innovative character.     

Demonisation and electoral support for populist radical right parties: A temporary effect

Since the 1980s, Western Europe has experienced the surge of populist radical right parties. In an attempt to ward off these electoral newcomers, established parties have pursued strategies of disengagement, such as exclusion and de-legitimisation. This study examines the electoral effects of an excessive form of de-legitimisation, which we label ‘demonisation’. We estimate the effects of demonisation on electoral support for the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) and its predecessor Groep Wilders. Time series analyses show that demonisation has a negative effect on electoral support, but only for Groep Wilders. Once the populist radical right party has made a successful entry into the party system, demonisation does not have its intended consequences.     

How Measurement Error in Content Analysis and Self-Reported Media Use Leads to Minimal Media Effect Findings in Linkage Analyses: A Simulation Study

In the debate on minimal media effects and their causes, methodological concerns about measurement are rarely discussed. We argue that even in state-of-the-art media-effects studies that combine measures of media messages and media use (i.e., linkage analyses), measurement error in both the media content analysis and the media use self-reports will typically lead to severely downward-biased effect estimates. We demonstrate this phenomenon using a large Monte Carlo simulation with varying parameters of the content analysis and the survey study. Results show that measurement error in the content analysis and media use variables does indeed lead to smaller effect estimates, especially when the media messages of interest are relatively rare. We discuss these findings as well as possible remedies and implications for future research.     

20世纪乡土小说的创作形态及其新变

从1920年开始,20世纪的中国乡土小说走过了80余年的历程.在不同文化思想的影响下,作家们秉承着不同的创作立场和创作方法,形成了乡土小说的多重创作形态.其中有鲁迅开创的文化批判型,茅盾为中坚的政治功利型,废名和沈从文倡导的文明怀旧型,还有赵树理为代表的乡村代言型.不同的创作形态体现出不同的审美追求和艺术特点,相互之间也构成了复杂的关系.90年代后,乡土小说创作形态呈现出新的发展和变异.     

延安精神：中国共产党人永远的精神家园

延安精神主要表现为新民主主义革命精神，民主、自由精神，追求真理、崇尚科学的精神，爱国主义精神，艰苦奋斗、克己奉公的廉政精神和为人民服务的精神。它同时表现为树立民主样本、建设清廉政治、推动整个国家进步的精神，探索跳出“周期率”的政治新路精神。延安精神是知、情、意诸方面有机结合而成的一个整体，是中国共产党人永远的精神家园。     

谈高职院校建立会计从业资格模拟考试体系的意义

近几年,会计资格考试年年火爆、不断升温,成千上万的考生卷入这场考证热潮,并把考本财会证书作为跻身”金领”的捷径,会计证书已跻身最受青睐的十大证书之一,然而取得证书却越来越难.特别是高职院校的学员,他们在许多方面与本科院校的学员相比处于劣势地位,为帮助高职院校学员有针对性地进行考证实质训练,并牢牢掌握所学知识,帮助高职学员提高考证通过率,各高职院校会计相关专业应有针对性地研究会计从业资格模拟考试体系,帮助高职学员的学习和考试.从七个方面介绍高职院校建立会计从业资格模拟考试体系的社会背景和意义.     

暴力犯罪的媒体诱因与对策反思——规避模仿示范效应的新路径

媒体对暴力犯罪的不当报道，会对潜在犯罪者起到模仿示范效应。鉴于新闻传媒客观、如实反映事件的职业伦理，其应当于公众知情权与犯罪预防间寻求平衡。但此种平衡未必尽然体现为“冷处理”式的抑制，必要时，在恪守媒体报道“绝对禁区”的前提下，适度地对特定暴力犯罪予以“热处理”，不仅是无害的，而且，其本身即为规避模仿示范效应的另一种至关重要的途径。