Reinvestigating the Reciprocal Relationship between Democracy and Income Inequality

Few social science relationships have spawned as much interest -- or as many elaborate theoretical models and arguments -- as that between democracy and income inequality. However, the empirical literature has generally employed statistical models based on problematic assumptions, and has produced quite mixed results. Hence, this paper makes an important empirical contribution by applying models that, for instance, account for endogeneity biases and control for country-specific effects. Despite being correlated, there is very little evidence of any effect of income inequality on level of democracy once employing appropriate model specifications. Furthermore, there is no robust evidence that inequality systematically affects either democratization prospects or democratic stability. In contrast, there is evidence that democracy reduces income inequality when inequality is proxied by share of income going to wages. However, also this effect is sensitive to choice of inequality measure. Democracy does, for instance, not reduce inequalities in disposable household incomes

Autocrats and Skyscrapers: Modern White Elephants in Dictatorships

Political leaders often have private incentives to pursue expensive and socially wasteful "white elephant" projects. Our argument highlights that weak accountability mechanisms allow autocratic leaders to more easily realize such projects, whereas democratic leaders are more constrained from doing so. We subsequently test different implications from this argument by drawing on a global dataset recording various features of skyscrapers, a prominent type of modern white elephant. We find that autocracies systematically build more new skyscrapers than democracies, and this result is robust to controlling for income level, state control over the economy, and country- and year-fixed effects. Further, autocratic skyscrapers are more excessive and wasteful than democratic. Autocratic regimes also pursue skyscraper projects no matter if they preside over rural or urban societies. In contrast, skyscrapers are fewer and - when first built - associated with less waste in democracies, and they are more frequently built urbanized democracies than in rural

Development of ten microsatellite loci in the marine fish ling (Molva molva)

Journal homepage: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1755-0998/issuesWe developed primers for two dinucleotide and eight tetranucleotide microsatellite loci in a marine fish, the ling (Molva molva). All markers were obtained from partial genomic DNA libraries and characterized in 55 unrelated individuals from one putative population. The number of alleles ranged from five to 24 (average 10.5) per locus, and the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.218 to 0.981 (average 0.643). No loci amplified in two other gadoid species tested, the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and the tusk (Brosme brosme)

Lobster and cod benefit from small-scale northern marine protected areas: inference from an empirical before - after control-impact study

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly implemented as tools to conserve and manage fisheries and target species. Because there are opportunity costs to conservation, there is a need for science-based assessment of MPAs. Here, we present one of the northernmost documentations of MPA effects to date, demonstrated by a replicated before-after control-impact (BACI) approach. In 2006, MPAs were implemented along the Norwegian Skagerrak coast offering complete protection to shellfish and partial protection to fish. By 2010, European lobster (Homarus gammarus) catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) had increased by 245 per cent in MPAs, whereas CPUE in control areas had increased by 87 per cent. Mean size of lobsters increased by 13 per cent in MPAs, whereas increase in control areas was negligible. Furthermore, MPA-responses and population development in control areas varied significantly among regions. This illustrates the importance of a replicated BACI design for reaching robust conclusions and management decisions. Partial protection of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) was followed by an increase in population density and body size compared with control areas. By 2010, MPA cod were on average 5 cm longer than in any of the control areas. MPAs can be useful management tools in rebuilding and conserving portions of depleted lobster populations in northern temperate waters, and even for a mobile temperate fish species such as the Atlantic cod

Mixed origin of juvenile Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) along the Swedish west coast

Cryptic population structure in exploited fishes poses a major challenge for fisheries management. In Atlantic cod, sympatric ecotypes are well-known, for instance off the coast of northern Norway. Recently, two sympatric cod ecotypes have also been documented in the Skagerrak and Kattegat, where adult cod has declined dramatically. One ecotype has an apparent offshore origin and displays a more migratory lifestyle than the other, which is generally resident at the coast throughout its life. To investigate their relative abundances along the Swedish west coast, juvenile cod were collected at high spatial resolution along the coast and genetically assigned to ecotypes. The results reveal large proportions of the coastal ecotype in the southern Kattegat, Öresund, and inshore Swedish Skagerrak, whereas the offshore ecotype dominates in offshore areas. A regression model comparison suggests that differences in bottom depth, rather than distance from the open sea, explain the heterogeneous spatial distribution of the two ecotypes. In addition, the two ecotypes display genetic differences suggesting adaptation to different environments. The results underline that successful fisheries management requires identification and consideration of locally adapted sympatric ecotypes.publishedVersio

Mixed origin of juvenile Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) along the Swedish west coast

Cryptic population structure in exploited fishes poses a major challenge for fisheries management. In Atlantic cod, sympatric ecotypes are well-known, for instance off the coast of northern Norway. Recently, two sympatric cod ecotypes have also been documented in the Skagerrak and Kattegat, where adult cod has declined dramatically. One ecotype has an apparent offshore origin and displays a more migratory lifestyle than the other, which is generally resident at the coast throughout its life. To investigate their relative abundances along the Swedish west coast, juvenile cod were collected at high spatial resolution along the coast and genetically assigned to ecotypes. The results reveal large proportions of the coastal ecotype in the southern Kattegat, Öresund, and inshore Swedish Skagerrak, whereas the offshore ecotype dominates in offshore areas. A regression model comparison suggests that differences in bottom depth, rather than distance from the open sea, explain the heterogeneous spatial distribution of the two ecotypes. In addition, the two ecotypes display genetic differences suggesting adaptation to different environments. The results underline that successful fisheries management requires identification and consideration of locally adapted sympatric ecotypes.publishedVersionPaid open acces

Conservation, spillover and gene flow within a network of northern European marine protected areas

To ensure that marine protected areas (MPAs) benefit conservation and fisheries, the effectiveness of MPA designs has to be evaluated in field studies. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we empirically assessed the design of a network of northern MPAs where fishing for European lobster (Homarus gammarus) is prohibited. First, we demonstrate a high level of residency and survival (50%) for almost a year (363 days) within MPAs, despite small MPA sizes (0.5-1 km2). Second, we demonstrate limited export (4.7%) of lobsters tagged within MPAs (N = 1810) to neighbouring fished areas, over a median distance of 1.6 km out to maximum 21 km away from MPA centres. In comparison, median movement distance of lobsters recaptured within MPAs was 164 m, and recapture rate was high (40%). Third, we demonstrate a high level of gene flow within the study region, with an estimated FST of less than 0.0001 over a ≈ 400 km coastline. Thus, the restricted movement of older life stages, combined with a high level of gene flow suggests that connectivity is primarily driven by larval drift. Larval export from the MPAs can most likely affect areas far beyond their borders. Our findings are of high importance for the design of MPA networks for sedentary species with pelagic early life stages

Genetic study reveals local differentiation persisting in the face of high connectivity and a genomic inversion likely linked with sexual antagonism in a common marine fish

Sustainable harvest of wild populations requires knowledge of the underlying population structure. The focus of this study is on goldsinny wrasse (Ctenolabrus rupestris), a small marine fish inhabiting coastal waters of the north-eastern Atlantic. This species is caught in large numbers to serve as cleaner fish in salmonid aquaculture. We genotyped 2073 goldsinny wrasse from 43 sites along the Scandinavian coastline with 143 SNPs. Seven of the SNPs were linked and likely reside within a large genomic inversion dominated by one haplotype. The heterokaryotype of the putative inversion displayed sex-specific growth patterns, potentially resolving sexual antagonism for this trait. The unlinked 134 SNPs showed modest isolation-by-distance with samples from the northernmost locations showing highest divergence, whereas sites farther south were much more interconnected. Genetic divergence (FST) was highly variable among sites within regions, suggesting a varying degree of connectivity and local divergence. We conclude that despite a high degree of gene-flow mediated through pelagic dispersal in early life stages, regional and some local population structure remains due to limited adult movement in addition to other unidentified factors. Consequently, the species might be more vulnerable to local disturbances than previously anticipated.publishedVersio

Conceptual and Measurement Issues in Assessing Democratic Backsliding

During the past decade, analyses drawing on several democracy measures have shown a global trend of democratic retrenchment. While these democracy measures use radically different methodologies, most partially or fully rely on subjective judgments to produce estimates of the level of democracy within states. Such projects continuously grapple with balancing conceptual coverage with the potential for bias (Munck and Verkuilen 2002; Przeworski et al. 2000). Little and Meng (L&M) (2023) reintroduce this debate, arguing that “objective” measures of democracy show little evidence of recent global democratic backsliding.1 By extension, they posit that time-varying expert bias drives the appearance of democratic retrenchment in measures that incorporate expert judgments. In this article, we engage with (1) broader debates on democracy measurement and democratic backsliding, and (2) L&M’s specific data and conclusions

“A cleaner break”: Genetic divergence between geographic groups and sympatric phenotypes revealed in ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta)

Capture and long‐distance translocation of cleaner fish to control lice infestations on marine salmonid farms has the potential to influence wild populations via overexploitation in source regions, and introgression in recipient regions. Knowledge of population genetic structure is therefore required. We studied the genetic structure of ballan wrasse, a phenotypically diverse and extensively used cleaner fish, from 18 locations in Norway and Sweden, and from Galicia, Spain, using 82 SNP markers. We detected two very distinct genetic groups in Scandinavia, northwestern and southeastern. These groups were split by a stretch of sandy beaches in southwest Norway, representing a habitat discontinuity for this rocky shore associated benthic egg‐laying species. Wrasse from Galicia were highly differentiated from all Scandinavian locations, but more similar to northwestern than southeastern locations. Distinct genetic differences were observed between sympatric spotty and plain phenotypes in Galicia, but not in Scandinavia. The mechanisms underlying the geographic patterns between phenotypes are discussed, but not identified. We conclude that extensive aquaculture‐mediated translocation of ballan wrasse from Sweden and southern Norway to western and middle Norway has the potential to mix genetically distinct populations. These results question the sustainability of the current cleaner fish practice.publishedVersio