The meaning of elections in transitional democracies: Evidence from Russia and Ukraine

The way in which citizens understand the meaning of elections may have a profound impact on the legitimation of transitional political systems. In post-Communist systems, this legitimation depends on the development of feelings that elections perform the functions of achieving accountability of elected officials, influencing policy direction of government and gaining personal benefits. Surveys in Russia and Ukraine at the time of elections in 1993 and 1994 show that those attaching such meanings to elections were most likely to display political interest and support system legitimacy, but that such people were a minority of the electorate. Popular acceptance of elections as legitimate democratic institutions in the future will depend on their ability to perform the functions of accountability, policy influence and personal benefit. Copyrigh

Activating the citizen: Dilemmas of participation in Europe and Canada

The decline of citizen involvement affects two key elements of democratic government: elections and political parties. Activating the Citizen examines the reasons underlying citizen withdrawal and explores and assesses innovative approaches on both sides of the Atlantic to try to counter these phenomena

The Canadian Federal Election of 2011

Written by the foremost authorities, The Canadian Federal Election of 2011 provides a complete investigation of all aspects of the campaigns and the outcome of the election. The Canadian Federal Election of 2011 is a comprehensive analysis of all aspects of the campaign and election outcome. The chapters, written by leading academics, examine the strategies, successes, and failures of the major political parties the Conservatives (Faron Ellis and Peter Woolstencroft), the Liberals (Brooke Jeffrey), the New Democrats (David McGrane), the Bloc Qubcois (Eric Belanger and Richard Nadeau), and the Green Party (Susan Harada). Also featured in this volume are chapters on the nature of local campaigning (Alex Marland), the polls (André Turcotte), the campaign in the new social media (Mary Francoli, Josh Greenberg and Christopher Waddell), and the nature of modern conservatism (Jonathan Malloy and Jim Farney). The book concludes with a detailed analysis of voting behaviour in 2011 (Harold Clarke and Tom Scotto) and an assessment of whether Canada is headed for a Stephen Harper dynasty (Jon H. Pammett and Lawrence LeDuc). Appendices contain all of the election results.</p

Citizen orientations to political parties in Russia

A combination of factors renders problematic the establishment of a competitive party system in Russia. Survey evidence from the period of the 1993 Duma election is used to examine the nature of attitudes to parties; these are found to be more supportive than might have been expected. The extent of public orientations to party is found to relate to interest in politics and belief in the meaningfulness of elections. General similarity in party orientation is found to exist among parties of different sizes and ideological stances. The importance of the development of public belief in political parties as a basis for democracy is emphasized