1,720,987 research outputs found
Does democratization foster state consolidation? : Democratic rule, political order, and administrative capacity
No full textThe established view in political science is that a sound and functioning state has to be in place before democracy can be introduced. State first, and then democracy. While acknowledging the existence of a basic state infrastructure as a necessary starting point, we examine the possibility that democratization itself may play an important role in the subsequent development and consolidation of the state. We do this by addressing the major conceptual and methodological shortcomings of existing research on this topic. The results of our panel analysis, covering a population of 122
countries, show that both a country’s level of democracy and the interaction between degree and duration of democracy positively and significantly affect the consolidation of the state and of its two key individual dimensions, namely, political order and administrative capacity
Can Corruption Erode the Confidence in Political Institutions among European Countries? Comparing the Effects of Different Measures of Perceived Corruption
No full textCorruption, as argued by many scholars, reemerged in the concern of most European countries bringing the awareness that no society is immune to the abuse of power by public officials. At the same time, citizens distrust institutions, are skeptical about parties and generally far from political arena. What are the effects of corruption on the quality of democracy and the level of confidence in political institutions? Scholars that investigate this topic usually employ indicators of corruption developed by aggregating experts judgments. In this paper we also consider indexes based on the perceptions of common citizens. The first part of the empirical analysis explores the levels of corruption perceived by citizens of European countries, stressing the differences with experts’ judgment. Then – taking advantage of several datasets – we compare the effects of corruption on the confidence that citizens put in political institutions. Empirical analysis shows that more corrupt countries are characterized by lower levels of democratic performance and less confidence in political institutions. Nevertheless, results obtained also highlight some differences in the effects of several measures of corruption adopted
Can corruption erode confidence in political institutions smong European countries? comparing the effects of different measures of perceived corruption
Full text linkThe purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of corruption on institutional confidence through testing alternative perceptions-based indexes of corruption. Scholars who have investigated this topic have often employed only indicators of corruption based on experts’ surveys. In this article we also consider a new index of corruption developed aggregating citizens’ perceptions. The first part of the paper explores the levels of corruption perceived by the citizens of EU member states, stressing the differences with the experts’ opinions. The second part tests, through a multivariate analysis, the impact of citizens’ and experts’ perceptions-based indexes of corruption on institutional confidence. The main results show that experts and citizens tend to express similar opinions on the extent of corruption in EU member states though, especially in some countries, these actors present some noticeable differences. Nevertheless, irrespective of the indexes used, more corrupt countries are characterized by lower levels of confidence in parliament and government. This relationship holds even controlling for the presence of reverse causality between corruption and confidence
Media use and confidence in institutions : a comparative analysis of Hallin and Mancini's three models
No full textIn Comparing Media Systems (2004), Hallin and Mancini identify three models of
media systems: the Mediterranean, Corporatist and Atlantic models. They distinguish them
according to newspaper circulation, political parallelism, levels of professionalisation and role
of the state in the media system. This article extends their analysis by interpreting the media
systems in terms of confidence in institutions. How does the use of media affect institutional
support? Using the Eurobarometer dataset integrated with data on media consumption (newspaper
circulation and television viewership), this article explores the relationship between the
media and institutional trust. Overall, the results obtained from multivariate analysis reinforce
Hallin and Mancini’s theoretical approach. The research also reveals that media’s influence on
the level of citizens’ confidence in institutions has a positive effect – in contrast to the opinion
that media increase distrust in institutions
Unfolding the growing confidence in Latin American unions : a longitudinal analysis
No full textLa rilevanza dei sindacati nelle dinamiche del lavoro è un ambito di studio ampiamente esplorato. Scarsa attenzione è stata invece riservata al rapporto tra società, considerata in senso ampio, e sindacati. Il presente lavoro analizza quindi la fiducia sociale nel sindacato in diciassette paesi dell’America Latina in prospettiva longitudinale (2004-2009). Anche se i sindacati presentano delle caratteristiche proprie in ogni nazione, l’attenzione è rivolta ai loro molti aspetti comuni, evidenziati attraverso una prospettiva storica. Tale approccio consente di strutturare una serie di ipotesi in merito alla determinanti della crescente fiducia sociale nei sindacati. Tali ipotesi sono successivamente testate attraverso un modello di regressione logistica a due livelli, sviluppato a partire dai dati del "Latinobarometro" e della Banca Mondiale. I principali risultati evidenziano che la percezione che i cittadini hanno dell’economia, i loro orientamenti politici, nonché la loro fiducia negli altri (trust) svolgono un ruolo importante nel loro orientamento (confidence) verso i sindacati.The relevance of unions in labour dynamics has been widely explored. However, little attention has been given to the relationship between society, broadly considered, and unions. Drawing on this perspective, this paper offers a longitudinal analysis (2004-2009) of the social confidence in unions in 17 Latin American (LA) countries. Despite the different union specificities in these countries, we focus on the most important common aspects of these unions, through a historical lens. This analysis allows us to develop some hypotheses about the tenets of the growing level of confidence in unions. We test them through a double-level empirical regression model based on Latin Barometer surveys and national economic indicators. The economic perception and the political and trustful orientations of the citizens play an important role in their confidence orientation towards unions
Corruption and EU Institutions : The Italians' Opinion
Full text linkCorruption is unanimously recognized as an endemic pathology of the Italian political system. Even after the 'Tangentopoli' scandals that broke down the Prima Repubblica and rapidly changed the partisan configuration, corruption remains one of the most relevant problems that affects the public sector. The different successive governments do not seem to have achieved significant results in constraining corruption. Italian citizens perceive institutions as corrupt and are increasingly disenchanted about politics. But what is the opinion of the Italians about the role of the European Union (EU) institutions in facing the problem of corruption? The purpose of this paper is to analyse the perceptions of Italian citizens about the spread of corruption within EU institutions and their potential role in preventing and fighting corruption in their country. In line with the scholarly literature on this topic, we expect that citizens' attitudes toward the EU in relation to the problem of corruption are mainly driven by their perceptions of the domestic national context. Taking advantage of data gathered from the Eurobarometer and comparing the Italian and the European contexts, the paper shows that citizens' opinions about corruption within EU institutions are drawn by their perceptions at the national level. However, at the same time, citizens who express more negative evaluations of the performance at the national level tend to be more confident about the role played by the EU in restraining corruption
Media use, crisis and optimism
No full textThis article investigates the influence exerted by the use of traditional and new media on people’s perceptions of the economic
present and expectations of their own and the country’s economic future. The analysis takes place within an intensive economic crisis (the survey data used, published by Eurobarometer, were collected in 2013 on 28 European countries). In our analysis, among other independent variables, we focus on the role of media consumption in shaping the perceptions of both the present and future economic situation. The analysis proves that the intensive use of social media compared with the traditional media furnish a better picture of the
individual’s economic future. The relation is explained in terms of social capital
Why Policy Representation Matters: The Consequences of Ideological Congruence between Citizens and their Governments
No full textThe Multi-Physics Approach Applied to the Modelling and Analysis of the Generation IV Lead Fast Reactor
No full textIn this book, the Multi-Physics Modelling (MPM) approach is briefly presented, and is applied to study the nuclear reactor core behavior. On the basis of R&D activities carried out at the Politecnico di Milano, this approach represents an integrative analysis implement in the design development of innovative nuclear reactors and reveals a useful tool when dealing with reactor dynamics, safety and control. The MPM fundamental feature is represented by the capability to simultaneously solve the coupled equations, which govern the different physical phenomena occurring in a nuclear reactor, in the same simulation environment. This prevents the implementation of additional code pieces for coupling neutron kinetics and thermal-hydraulics codes. Moreover, the Coupled Code Techniques (CCT) can require significant modifications of the considered codes. On the contrary, the adoption of a MPM tool allows the analyst to minimize the programming burden and to focus on the physical aspects of the problem. An important advantage given by the employment of such MPM approach is the possibility to perform more accurate thermal-hydraulic simulation by using computational fluid dynamics schemes comprising the description of turbulent flows, which occur in the majority of nuclear reactor cores.
The approach discussed in this book is applied to the modelling and analysis of the Generation IV Lead-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR), with reference to the ELSY (European Lead System) reactor design, chosen as case study in order to demonstrate the MPM adequacy to simulate the core behavior and to perform preliminary safety analyses. For this system, two accident scenarios are considered, namely the unprotected loss of flow (ULOF) and the unprotected transient overpower (UTOP). Both transients are simulated showing that the multi-physics modelling gives additional information when compared to simplified thermal-hydraulic description.
In this book, the MPM theoretical basis is first summarized, and compared with the classical CCT approach. Then, some relevant issues related to the LFR technology are discussed and a brief description of ELSY layout is given. Finally, the multi-physics modelling adopted to analyze the steady-state and transient behavior of the ELSY reactor is discussed
Are lions democrats? The impact of democratization on economic growth in Africa, 1980-2010
No full textIf we look back at the past two decades, timing seems to point to a close connection between democratic reforms and economic growth in sub- Saharan states. Most countries in the area introduced multiparty politics and made dramatic – if incomplete – democratic progress between 1990 and 1994. Quite strikingly, it is exactly from 1994 to 1995 (and particularly from 2000) that the region began to undergo a period of significant economic progress. Because of the undeniable temporal sequence experienced in the region – that is, first political reforms, then economic growth – some observers pointed to a nexus between democratic progress and economic performance. But is there evidence in support of a causal relationship? As of today, no empirical research has been conducted on the democracy–growth nexus in the early twenty-first century’s so-called “emerging Africa”. To fill this gap, we discuss the different arguments claiming an economic advantage of democracies, we present our theoretical framework and carry out an empirical analysis of the growth impact of political regimes in 43 sub-Saharan states for the entire 1980–2010 period. Our findings confirm that African countries, many of which had long suffered the combination of authoritarian rule and predatory practices, derived some economic dividends from democratic progress
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