Use of anthropogenic material affects bird nest arthropod community structure: influence of urbanisation, and consequences for ectoparasites and fledging success

Nests are a critically important factor in determining the breeding success of many species of birds. Nevertheless, we have surprisingly little understanding of how local environment helps shape materials used in construction, how this differs among related species using similar nest sites, or if materials used directly or indirectly influence the numbers of offspring successfully reared. We also have little understanding of any potential links between nest construction and the assemblage of invertebrates which inhabit the nest and in particular, with ectoparasites. We addressed these questions by monitoring the success rates of nest-box using Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus and Great Tits Parus major, from rural, urban greenspace and urban garden settings. We collected used nests, identified arthropods present, and measured the proportions of highly processed anthropogenic materials used in their construction. Some 25% of Great Tit nest materials were of an anthropogenic source and this was consistent across habitats, while Blue Tits used little (1-2%) except in gardens (~16%), suggesting that Great Tits preferentially sought out these materials. In fledged nests, increasing use of anthropogenic material was associated with lower general arthropod diversity and ectoparasite predator abundance (Blue Tits only) but higher levels of Siphonapterans (fleas). Higher arthropod diversity was associated with lower flea numbers, suggesting that increased diversity played a role in limiting flea numbers. No direct link was found between breeding success and either anthropogenic material usage, or arthropod diversity and abundance. However, breeding success declined with increasing urbanisation in both species and increased with nest weight in Blue Tits. The interplay between urbanisation and bird ecology is complex; our work shows that subtle anthropogenic influences may have indirect and unexpected consequences for urban birds

Patterns of democracy: Coalition governance and majoritarian modification in the United Kingdom, 2010–2015

The UK is often regarded as the archetype of Westminster democracy and as the empirical antithesis of the power-sharing coalitions of Western Europe. Yet, in recent years a different account has emerged that focuses on the subtler institutional dynamics which limit the executive. It is to this body of scholarship that this article responds, locating the recent chapter of coalition government within the wider context of the UK’s democratic evolution. To do so, the article draws Lijphart’s two-dimensional typology of democracies, developing a refined framework that enables systematic comparison over time. The article demonstrates that between over the course of the 2010-15 Parliament, the UK underwent another period of majoritarian modification, driven by factors including the long-term influence of the constitutional forces unleashed under Labour and the short-term impact of coalition management. The article makes several important contributions, salient in the UK and beyond. Theoretically, it offers a critical rejoinder to debates regarding the relationship between institutional design and democratic performance. Methodologically, it demonstrates that the tools of large-scale comparison can be effectively scaled-down to facilitate withincase analysis. Empirically, it provides a series of conclusions regarding the tenability of the UK’s extant democratic architecture under the weight of pressures to which it continues to be subject

Federalismo, dinâmica eleitoral e políticas públicas no Brasil: uma tipologia e algumas hipóteses Federalism, electoral dynamics and public policies in Brazil: a typology and some hypotheses

O presente trabalho propõe um modelo tipológico capaz de fundamentar o entendimento da conexão entre políticas públicas e dinâmica eleitoral em uma democracia federal onde o poder de formular e implementar políticas públicas é relativamente descentralizado. De modo mais geral, esta tipologia de políticas públicas pretende avançar além das dicotomias tradicionais da ciência política - clientelismo vs. universalismo / partidos catch-all vs. partidos programáticos - oferecendo uma nova perspectiva analítica, de corte não dualista. A tipologia classifica as políticas públicas a partir de duas dimensões: os critérios de alocação de recursos (políticopartidários ou universalistas) e a natureza dos bens e serviços produzidos (privados ou públicos). A partir do cruzamento das duas dimensões, o trabalho define quatro tipos de estratégias de implementação de políticas públicas: clientelismo, política distributiva, focalização e universalismo. Também são definidas algumas hipóteses capazes de explicar as escolhas de política pública realizadas pelos governos subnacionais. O trabalho leva em conta três ordens de fatores explicativos: competição política horizontal (entre partidos políticos), competição vertical (entre esferas de governo) e contexto socioeconômico e demográfico.<br>This paper proposes a typological model to provide further understanding of the connection between public policies and electoral dynamics in a federal democracy in which the power to formulate and implement public policies is relatively decentralized. More generally, this typology of public policies is intended to move beyond the traditional dichotomies of political science - clientelism vs. universalism / catch-all parties vs. programmatic parties - offering a new analytical perspective, with a non-dualistic approach. The typology classifies public policies according to two dimensions: the criteria for allocation of resources (partisan or universal) and the nature of the goods and services produced (private or public). From the intersection of the two dimensions, the paper defines four types of strategies for the implementation of public policies: clientelism, distributive policy, policy targeting and universalism. It also proposes some hypotheses to explain the choices of public policy made by the state governments. The article takes into account three types of explanatory factors: horizontal political competition (between political parties), vertical competition (between the spheres of government), and the socio-economic and demographic context

Political Institutions, Policymaking, and Economic Policy in Latin America

This paper surveys selected themes in the political economy of policymaking in Latin America, with an emphasis on recent research focusing on actual decision and implementation processes, and on the political institutions and state and social actors involved in those processes. In particular, the paper addresses how political rules work for or against intertemporal cooperation among political actors. The document shows that the extent to which polities obtain the key policy features that seem to determine development depends on the workings of political institutions, which define how the policymaking game is played, on the characteristics of the arenas of interaction, which define where the policymaking game is played, and on certain characteristics of key socioeconomic groups, which define who interacts with professionalpoliticians in pursuing different policy preferences