Measuring issue-salience in voters' preferences

We provide a new approach to the measurement of issue salience that explains how the salience of an issue among voters and the position of the parties on a given issue interact to each other and determine vote choices and aggregate election results. Analyzing the spatial model of voting, we show how voting probabilities can be estimated by a multinomial logit regression where the ideal policy locations of voters on each issue dimensions are independent variables, and where no individual specific perception about the location of the political parties is used in the regression. The pieces of survey information that are used to calculate issue-salience are: i) specific position of respondents on each issue dimension, ii) vote choice, and iii) the policy position of parties on each issue dimension, which is measured by the mean perceived position. Rather, only an aggregate estimate of party positions on issues is needed. To demonstrate the mechanics and value of the approach, we analyze regional elections in the Basque province of Spain. In that region, we find that the left-right dimension is about two times more salient than nationalism. The nationalism issue is, however, more divisive than the left-right issue. This shows that the issue that voters care more about, may not coincide with the issue on which the parties offer more distinctive policies.     

Majoritarian values and women’s rights: police and judicial behavior in Tajikistan and Azerbaijan

This paper analyzes judicial and police behavior in dealing with cases of family violence and divorce in Tajikistan and Azerbaijan. Police and judges deliberately violate existing legal provisions to prevent women from divorcing or filing charges against their husbands in cases of domestic violence. While the law does not recognize religious marriages in Tajikistan, judges often rule to protect women’s living space after the dissolution of such unions. Drawing on rich interview and archival data, this behavior is explained by showing that judicial and police behavior reflects their biases, which in turn are a reflection of majoritarian norms in these countries. Since current laws are derived from Soviet codes, which were never internalized by the population, police and judges bend them to fit their understanding of social justice.     

Does nationalism promote democracy? Comparative analyses of Ukraine's ‘Maidan’ revolution and Poland's ‘Solidarity’ mass mobilisation

The increased number of ‘democratic revolutions’ around the globe has raised questions of how mass mobilisation contributes to democracy and of what role nationalism plays in this process. Mass mobilisation is viewed as the best option for breaking down communist regimes due to the rise of new political elites to positions of power within the state. On the other hand, the revolutionary character of mass mobilisation movements, together with the uncertainty of the link between democracy and nationalism, may lead such movements to impact negatively on democratisation. Ukraine's ‘Maidan’ revolution and Poland's ‘Solidarity’ movement allow for a comparison of two types of mass movements in terms of both causes and outcomes. This article claims that the mass protests in Ukraine, as opposed to those in Poland, did not lead to democratisation but rather to the opposite: the polarisation of both political elites and civil society. The role of nationalism, in this respect, was shaped and interpreted by political leaders.     

The Alash movement and the question of Kazakh ethnicity

This paper considers how the Alash movement, the Kazakh national movement led by Russian-educated Kazakh intellectuals in the Russian Empire at the beginning of the twentieth century, redefined Kazakh ethnicity into the Kazakh nation. Aimed at modernizing Kazakh society by declaring itself a nation, the movement used the myth of common descent. It is not surprising, then, that the movement took on the name of Alash, a mythical figure believed to have been the father of all three Kazakh zhuz (tribal confederations). This paper examines the discourse around Kazakhness and its distinction from its Muslim neighbors with respect to five factors; the “true” myth of common descent of Kazakhs, Kazakh history as one of common fate, a nomadic way of life, the weak links to Islam among Kazakhs, and, finally, the legitimization of the Alash leaders as the legitimate speakers for the Kazakh nation. This analysis, in turn, may provide a better understanding of the ways in which social and intellectual movements can redefine belonging, depending on historical circumstances and opportunities and constraints in the social sphere.     

Labelling and Legitimization: Justifying Political Violence in the Basque Country

This article focuses on the role of labelling in the discourse employed by the Left-Wing Nationalist movement in the Basque Country to legitimize the use of violence for political ends. The approach in this article goes beyond classic labelling theory. I demonstrate that radical Nationalists do not passively undergo their being labelled as deviants (fanatics, terrorists) by society, but develop counter-labels instead to define their opponents and re-label themselves.     

论现代埃及女权运动的兴起

20世纪早期,埃及伊斯兰改革主义和民族主义推动了女权运动的兴起,伊斯兰传统文化制约着女权主义的内涵,第一代女权主义者的才智和奋斗精神,推动着埃及社会的进步.     

日本民族主义与"东亚共同体"设想的内在冲突

日本积极倡导"东亚共同体"建设,并自认为是理所当然的亚洲领袖.但极端的民族主义和狭隘的民族意识导致日本难以做到以平等的姿态与中国和亚洲各国携起手来共同创造和平与繁荣的东亚新秩序,这成为该设想难以变成现实的主要症结.近代日本成为帝国主义列强之后,极端的民族主义就日益凸显出来,这一方面表现为对内的专制,另一方面表现为对亚洲邻国的轻蔑和对欧美强国潜在的对抗意识.今天,日本极端的民族主义影响没有彻底清除,不能适应东亚经济政治区域化的历史要求.日本非科学的、缺乏民主和世界主义的民族主义,与其"东亚共同体"的设想存在着内在冲突,给日本的东亚政策造成深远的影响.     

全球化和民族主义关系的考察

全球化浪潮对民族国家构成了强大的挑战,民族主义勃兴和全球化形成一种互动关系.冷战后民族主义呈现新态势.     

冷战后的民族主义新浪潮及其消极影响

世界现代史上的民族主义发展经历了三次浪潮,它们有进步的与反动的之分.当今世界民族主义表现为民族分离主义、宗教民族主义、"泛民族主义"、部族民族主义等不同形态,特征各异,但就其作用而言以消极影响为主导.冷战后,民族主义问题具有国际化、暴力化以及民族主义与宗教势力连体发展的趋势,造成的恶果日趋严重,并有持续发展之势,但受多种条件的制约,其发展力度有限.     

美国的新殖民主义与菲律宾民族主义的回应:1898—1935

美国在菲律宾推行的新殖民主义,促使菲律宾民族主义表现出抗衡、合作或拒绝的回应.二者的互动在殖民地时期的菲律宾产生了一系列后果.文章就此提出了独特的看法.