Monthly Archives: November 2017

Party influence where predispositions are strong and party identification is weak: Assessing citizens’ reactions to party cues on regional nationalism in Spain

By Eric Guntermann, Postdoctoral researcher at the Research Chair in Electoral Studies and research coordinator for Making Electoral Democracy Work   Do parties influence opinions on nationalism in Spain? Numerous studies have shown that parties influence opinions, especially in the US (e.g. Cohen, 2003; Druckman et al., 2013; Kam, 2005). It is unclear, however, whether such […]

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When David and Goliath campaign online: the effects of digital media use during electoral campaigns on vote for small parties

What is the story? A growing literature examines the effects of digital media on the fortunes of challenger parties. Challengers might have an advantage online given that digital technologies are making small contenders more visible compared to big ones. Moreover, the plurality of new media will cater to niche audiences, undermining the appeal of mainstream […]

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What Do Political Scientists Know About Electoral Reform that Practitioners Do Not? A View from Europe and Canada

Camille Bedock (University of Brussels), Damien Bol (King’s College London), Thomas Ehrhard (University of Paris II)   What is the story? When politicians or public officials consider changing the electoral system, they often seek advice from political scientists. The APSA Task Force on Political Science, Electoral Rules and Democratic Governance conducted a survey on the […]

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