Women’s role in promoting environmental issues: Evidence from 19 industrialized democracies

Party positions towards green politics are one of the key explanatory factors for the environmental performance of industrialized democracies (Jahn 2016). Far beyond simply grouping individuals with similar ideological positions, parties constitute the platform for debates about policy positions and priorities that are later on presented to the electorate (Key 1942; Teorell 1999). Previous research emphasizes the explanatory power of party-level factors such as party ideology or electoral vulnerability for party positions towards the environment (Carter 2013; Spoon et al. 2014; Farstad 2018). In my contribution to the book “Parties, Institutions and Preferences: The Shape and Impact of Partisan Politics” edited by Erik Baltz, Sven Kosanke, and Susanne Pickel, I aim to contribute to a better understanding of the conditions under which parties emphasize green issues by revealing the role of the sex of the actors involved in the party decision-making process (this is Part 2 of our series on the book, follow this link to Part 1). In a nutshell, I engage with the question: How do party positions concerning green and growth policies change as women’s presence in party offices increases?… Read More Women’s role in promoting environmental issues: Evidence from 19 industrialized democracies

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Do Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth? How a Cabinet’s Internal Decision-Making Impacts Cabinets’ Survival

The study of political institutions has a long tradition in comparative political research. However, most studies focus on existence, competences or interdependencies of different political institutions – the within-perspective has been neglected so far in most studies. Recently some scholars began to tackle this research gap by maintaining agreements within institution, e.g. governments, or gender imbalances that impact political outcomes. The two following blog post discuss studies that strive to contribute to this research vein. First, Erik Baltz discuss the impact of internal decision-making procedures on the longevity of cabinets and second Corinna Kroeber examines gender impact on environmental policies. Both contributions belong to the new edited volume ‚Parties, Institutions and Preferences‘ (2022) by Erik Baltz, Sven Kosanke and Susanne Pickel which is Detlef Jahn’s unofficial commemorative. Jahn was Professor for Comparative Politics at the University of Greifswald for 22 years. In this edited volume, many of his former fellows and companions have come together for his emeritus to constitute a noteworthy commemorative and build an appropriate Farewell for Detlef Jahn.… Read More Do Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth? How a Cabinet’s Internal Decision-Making Impacts Cabinets’ Survival

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The Austrian Presidential Election of 2022: More Than Just a Second-Order Election

After the nailbiter election of 2016, when former Green party leader Alexander van der Bellen narrowly prevailed against Far-Right candidate Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party (FPÖ), the 2022 Austrian presidential election almost seemed tame. Not even a runoff round was needed to determine that van der Bellen would be confirmed in office: the incumbent achieved 54.6 percent in the first round of voting, thus — even though this result is at the lower end of what incumbent presidents in the Second Republic could so far hope for — garnering more votes than all of his six competitors combined. Hence, just another boring second-order election? Yes. But there is more to it.… Read More The Austrian Presidential Election of 2022: More Than Just a Second-Order Election

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When do men MPs claim to represent women in plenary debates – Time-series cross-sectional evidence from the German states

How does the share of women in party parliamentary groups shape the issues that men MPs emphasize when speaking about women during plenary debates? My recent publication in Political Research Quarterly shows that the higher the share of women in a party parliamentary group, the more will men representatives emphasize women’s interests in the context of issues they can easily relate to. For instance, men may emphasize the financing of gender equality projects or the way broader patterns of societal inequality, such as poverty or health, impact women.… Read More When do men MPs claim to represent women in plenary debates – Time-series cross-sectional evidence from the German states

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Cabinet Reshuffles and Prime Ministerial Performance in Central and Eastern Europe

Prime ministers rely on the working of their cabinet ministers to be able to perform successfully – meaning to fulfil the tasks associated with their job. It is the ministers who develop policies and direct the bureaucracy in the government departments. They also provide advice and support for the prime minister in relations with other political actors, such as coalition parties and parliament. From this perspective, every replacement of a minister is costly for the prime minister. However, incompetent or self-interested ministers may also undermine the prime minister’s work, making it beneficial for prime ministers to replace certain members of cabinet.  To date, the effects of cabinet reshuffles on prime ministerial performance have not been systematically explored so far. In our recent publication in Government and Opposition, we address this research gap.… Read More Cabinet Reshuffles and Prime Ministerial Performance in Central and Eastern Europe

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Literature review: Knowledge Is Power: The Staffing Advantage of Parliamentary and Ministerial Offices

Research aiming to understand how political parties operate internally often focuses on the dynamics between the party base and the elected party elites. These dynamics are coined by the ability of the extra-parliamentary party organization to control and influence its elites operating in the political process. Party bases aim to protect parties’ ideological principles and keep long-term political goals in the focus of day-to-day politics. The staff of parties as key factor shaping the power balance within political parties and its role and influence appears to receive increasing scholarly attention. As non-elected actors in the political process, staffers’ varying allocation to party office-holders have an influence on the internal balance of power of parties and are therefore an important object of study.… Read More Literature review: Knowledge Is Power: The Staffing Advantage of Parliamentary and Ministerial Offices

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In the Name of Their Fathers: Political Masculinity and the Strongman Appeal in the Philippines

“The legacy of my father is what we hope will be clarified at last,” says Senator Imee Marcos, sister of Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr., who, together with his vice-presidential running mate, Sara Duterte, were proclaimed winners by the Philippine Congress in late May 2022. The statement was made weeks after a much-polarized election season. Marcos, Jr. garnered 58 percent of total votes cast. He is the son and namesake of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Sr,. who ruled the country from 1965 to 1986. On the other hand, Sara Duterte claimed 62 percent of votes and is Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter and outgoing Davao City mayor. Their landslide victory is a first in the country where recent history shows that presidential and vice-presidential candidates win via a mere plurality of votes. In particular, Marcos, Jr.’s win stunned observers, wondering why a country that ousted his father nearly 40 years ago, brought the family back to power. For others, it repudiates the world-renowned 1986 People Power uprising that brought democracy back. Experts have offered several explanations for this outcome.… Read More In the Name of Their Fathers: Political Masculinity and the Strongman Appeal in the Philippines

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