Political Campaign Manual

This manual is geared toward a campaign that is grassroots and democratic, actively engaging citizens and campaign volunteers. Such a campaign is ecological in its use of resources as well as in its policy positions. A people's campaign is one in which means and ends are harmoniously interwoven: the conduct of the campaign is fully reflective of the values and political positions of the candidate. It shows its commitment to social justice through inclusion of diverse citizens in its deliberations.Jamaica Political Campaign Manual,Jamaica development, Political Campaign manual, Campaign Manual

Strategic voting under proportional representation and coalition governments: a laboratory experiment

"We investigate whether the theory of strategic voting can explain voting behavior in a fairly common type of political system, multi-party systems with proportional representation, minimum vote thresholds, and coalition governments. In this paper, we develop a formal (computational) strategic voting game and show in a simulation that the model produces election scenarios and outcomes with desirable characteristics as well as different opportunities for strategic voting. We then test the decision-theoretic model in a laboratory experiment, taking into account both sophisticated and heuristic decision strategies. Participants with a purely instrumental (financial) motivation voted in a series of 25 independent elections. The availability of polls and coalition signals by parties was manipulated. The results show that voters are frequently able to make optimal or strategic vote decisions, but that voters also rely on simple decision heuristics and are highly susceptible to coalition signals by parties." (author's abstract

Spartan Daily, November 3, 1980

Volume 75, Issue 45https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/6681/thumbnail.jp

To Vote or Not To Vote: The Effects of Political Information Efficacy, Locus of Control, and Parental Socialization on the Political Engagement of College Students

Political engagement involves both indirect and direct actions that effect the political system such as voting, donating to campaigns, and volunteering for a political party. Previous literature has suggested that students demonstrating more interest in politics and exhibiting strong party ties were more likely to vote than those who were uninterested in politics. Limited research has examined the relationship between political information efficacy, locus of control, and parental socialization on the political engagement of college students; however, studies have thoroughly examined the effects of political affiliation. The sample population for this research were students enrolled at one small, private, liberal arts institution located in central Pennsylvania. The data were obtained through the use of mixed methodology, using survey and semi-structured interview techniques. Results show that there were significant relationships between political engagement and political information efficacy. Those who felt more confident with their political knowledge were more likely to be politically engaged. Interestingly, there was a was no relationship between locus of control and political engagement. There were significant relationships between political engagement and parental socialization. Those who recalled their parents being more politically engaged were more politically engaged themselves

Dividing the spoils - pensions, privatization, and reform in Russia's transition

The authors present a political economy model in which policy is the outcome of an interaction between three actors: government (G), managers and workers (W), and transfer recipients (P). The government's objective is to stay in power, for which it needs the support of either P or W. It can choose slow privatization with little asset stripping and significant taxation, thus protecting the fiscal base out of which it pays pensioners relatively well (as in Poland). Or it can give away assets and tax exemptions to managers and workers, who then bankroll it and deliver the vote, but it thereby loses taxes and pays little to pensioners (as in Russia). The authors apply this model to Russia for the period 1992-96. An empirical analysis of electoral behavior in the 1996 presidential election shows that the likelihood of someone voting for Yeltsin did not depend on that person's socioeconomic group per se. Those who tended to vote for Yeltsin were richer, younger, and better educated and had more favorable expectations for the future. Entrepreneurs, who had more of these characteristics, tended to vote for Yeltsin as a result, while pensioners, who had almost none, tended to vote against Yeltsin. Unlike Poland, Russia failed to create pluralist politics in the early years of the transition, so no effective counterbalance emerged to offset managerial rent-seeking and the state was easily captured by well-organized industrial interests. The political elite were reelected because industrial interests bankrolled their campaign in return for promises that government largesse would continue to flow. Russia shows vividly how political economy affects policymaking, because of how openly and flagrantly government granted favors in return for electoral support. Bur special interests, venal bureaucrats, and the exchange of favors tend to be the rule, not the exemption, elsewhere as well.Public Health Promotion,Banks&Banking Reform,Municipal Financial Management,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,National Governance,Banks&Banking Reform,Municipal Financial Management,Health Monitoring&Evaluation

The Winding Journey to Justice: An Analysis of the Voting Rights Act on Disenfranchised Populations and Its Impact in the State of Georgia

Today, the American landscape is more racially and ethnically diverse, yet minority populations have been and will likely be disenfranchised in the Post-Section 4 era. Minority voter participation Post-VRA has experienced some gains but achieving equality in terms of access and civic participation may be compromised. Hence, section one of this research will provide an introduction and highlight the conceptual framework that guides it. Section II will first provide a historical analysis of the significance of the VRA and its impact on minority voting rights from 1965 to the present. Section III will outline the methodology and theoretical framework that will guide this research. Section IV will examine the impact of minority participation in the State of Georgia Post-VRA and its correlation to the recent Supreme Court decision to strike down the usage of Section 4 of the VRA. Section V will comprise of a policy analysis of the VRA while examining the political landscape in the state and the implementation of the controversial Voter ID legislation that for many resembles a return to tenets of the Jim Crow era while drawing conclusions of minority participation post Section 4 as it relates to future elections. Section VI will include future projections and concluding remarks and implications for future research