| 1. |
- Lindberg, Staffan, et al.
(författare)
-
Det man ser och inte ’ser’ - Indiens miljöutmaningar
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Miraklet Indien och dess baksida. - 9789188785008 ; , s. 225-238
-
Bokkapitel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Miljön hotas av förgiftning av luft, vatten och jordar. Industriutveckling och gruvdrift förstör miljön, liksom användningen av kol och bensin i de ständigt ökande transporter. Indiens möjligheter att komma till rätta med detta.
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
- Lindberg, Staffan, et al.
(författare)
-
Fattiga och rika – jordbruk och landsbygd i snabb förändring
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Miraklet Indien och dess baksida. - 9789188785008 ; , s. 151-175
-
Bokkapitel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Landsbygdens förändring under de senaste femtio åren. Grön revolution och mekanisering av jordbruket. Arbetsmigration till städerna. Kasternas frigörelse. Regional politik.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
- Ajayi, Abiodun, et al.
(författare)
-
Expanded ataxin-7 cause toxicity by inducing ROS production from NADPH oxidase complexes in a stable inducible Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) model
- 2012
-
Ingår i: BMC Neuroscience. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2202. ; 13
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is one of nine inherited neurodegenerative disorders caused by polyglutamine (polyQ) expansions. Common mechanisms of disease pathogenesis suggested for polyQ disorders include aggregation of the polyQ protein and induction of oxidative stress. However, the exact mechanism(s) of toxicity is still unclear. Results: In this study we show that expression of polyQ expanded ATXN7 in a novel stable inducible cell model first results in a concomitant increase in ROS levels and aggregation of the disease protein and later cellular toxicity. The increase in ROS could be completely prevented by inhibition of NADPH oxidase (NOX) complexes suggesting that ATXN7 directly or indirectly causes oxidative stress by increasing superoxide anion production from these complexes. Moreover, we could observe that induction of mutant ATXN7 leads to a decrease in the levels of catalase, a key enzyme in detoxifying hydrogen peroxide produced from dismutation of superoxide anions. This could also contribute to the generation of oxidative stress. Most importantly, we found that treatment with a general anti-oxidant or inhibitors of NOX complexes reduced both the aggregation and toxicity of mutant ATXN7. In contrast, ATXN7 aggregation was aggravated by treatments promoting oxidative stress. Conclusion: Our results demonstrates that oxidative stress contributes to ATXN7 aggregation as well as toxicity and show that anti-oxidants or NOX inhibition can ameliorate mutant ATXN7 toxicity.
|
|
| 8. |
|
|
| 9. |
- Alänge, Sverker, 1951, et al.
(författare)
-
From job-less growth to growth-with-less-jobs: Employment and equity impact of technical and organisational change
- 1996
-
Ingår i: Science and Public Policy. - 1471-5430 .- 0302-3427. ; 23:1, s. 27-38
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- New technical innovations in the form of new production technologies are known to affect productivity, but organisational innovations and new ways of designing products have now been found to have a profound influence on productivity. These innovations have moved the industrialised countries into a stage in which industrial growth is accompanied by the continuous reduction in industrial employment. This development will greatly influence our society and put stringent demands on our political decision-making apparatus to avoid a growth in the 'wealth of nations' going hand-in-hand with a growth in poverty.
|
|
| 10. |
- Andersson, Anders, et al.
(författare)
-
Describing fish passage in a river confluence with telemetry and CFD
- 2016
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The confluence between hydropower tailrace and the old river bed in Stornorrfors in the river Umeälven in the northern part of Sweden has shown to be the largest obstacle for upstream migrating salmon and sea trout during the migrating season. Fish are attracted to the high flow rate from the tailrace and will not migrate upstream in the old river bed being the passage to the fishway leading past the hydropower dam. By triangulating the movements of radio tagged fish using eight antennas in the confluence, it is here possible to describe the individual fish tracks left by radio tagged fish during the migrating season. These tracks are then compared with three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of the confluence. By simulating the most common combinations of turbine flow and spill flow in the old river bed it is then possible to find correlations between individual fish movements and flow parameters such as velocity, turbulence intensity or vorticity for different flow combinations. It was previously assumed that fish had trouble locating the old river bed, the results of the triangulation however shows that most fish finds the old river bed within a few days but does not chose to migrate until several days (or weeks) later. The main issue to be solved is therefore not how to attract the fish to the old river bed but rather how to create favorable conditions in the old river bed so that migrating fish are more inclined to take that path upstream.
|
|
| 11. |
- Andersson, Anders G., et al.
(författare)
-
A numerical study of the location and function of the entrance of a fishway in a regulated river
- 2010
-
Ingår i: 8th International Symposium on ECOHYDRAULICS. ; , s. 277-284
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Simulation driven design with Computational Fluid Dynamics has been used to evaluate the flow downstream a hydropower plant with regards to upstream migrating fish. Field measurements with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler were performed and the measurements were used to validate the simulations. The measurements indicate a more unstable flow than the simulations and the tailrace jet from the turbines is stronger in the simulations. The simulations are however considered to capture the important features of the flow in a way that makes them viable for attraction water simulations. A fishway entrance was included in the simulations and the subsequent attraction water was evaluated for two positions and two angles of the entrance at different turbine discharges. Results show that both positions are viable and that a position where the flow from the fishway does not have to compete with the flow from the power plant will generate superior attraction water. Simulations were also performed further downstream where the flow from the turbines meets the old river bed which is the current fish passage for upstream migrating fish. A modification of the old river bed was made in the model as one scenario to generate better attraction water. This considerably increases the attraction water although it cannot compete with the flow from the tailrace tunnel.
|
|
| 12. |
- Andersson, Anders G., et al.
(författare)
-
A study of the location of the entrance of a fishway in a regulated river with CFD and ADCP
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Modelling and Simulation in Engineering. - : Hindawi Limited. - 1687-5591 .- 1687-5605. ; 2012
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Simulation-driven design with computational fluid dynamics has been used to evaluate the flow downstream of a hydropower plant with regards to upstream migrating fish. Field measurements with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler were performed, and the measurements were used to validate the simulations. The measurements indicate a more unstable flow than the simulations, and the tailrace jet from the turbines is stronger in the simulations. A fishway entrance was included in the simulations, and the subsequent attraction water was evaluated for two positions and two angles of the entrance at different turbine discharges. Results show that both positions are viable and that a position where the flow from the fishway does not have to compete with the flow from the power plant will generate superior attraction water. Simulations were also performed for further downstream where the flow from the turbines meets the old river bed which is the current fish passage for upstream migrating fish. A modification of the old river bed was made in the model as one scenario to generate better attraction water. This considerably increases the attraction water although it cannot compete with the flow from the tailrace tunnel.
|
|
| 13. |
- Angiolillo, Fabio, 1994, et al.
(författare)
-
Democratic-Autocratic Party Systems: A New Index
- 2023
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Party systems can be split along a democratic-authoritarian dimension in which some parties commit to democracy while others are decidedly more authoritarian. This democracy-autocracy party system (DAPS) dimension differs from other common scales that primarily capture policy differences rather than regime preferences. To apprehend this dimension of political division, we introduce a new empirical framework. Building on existing data on parties’ ideology, we provide a new measurement that defines to what extent a party system is more democratic or authoritarian. This measurement allows us to track the development of the democratic-authoritarian dimension across time between 1970-2019 and space, covering 174 countries for 3,151 election-years. We implement well-established content, convergent, and discriminant validity tests to confirm the reliability of our measurement, along with an empirical application of DAPS’s influence on autocratization and democratization.
|
|
| 14. |
- Angiolillo, Fabio, 1994, et al.
(författare)
-
State of the world 2023: democracy winning and losing at the ballot : State of the world 2023
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Democratization. - 1351-0347.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article presents trends in democracy, autocracy, and regime transformation using the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) dataset version 14. We offer five main findings. First, the average level of democracy as measured by the Liberal Democracy Index (LDI) continues to decline and has reached the 1985-level when looking at the population-weighted averages. Second, 42 countries are in ongoing episodes of autocratization, and 18 countries are in ongoing episodes of democratization in 2023. Third, we are the first to show that out of the 42 autocratizing countries, 19 are “Bell-turn” autocratizers, while nine out of the 18 democratizers are “U-turns.” Fourth, we unpack the familiar analysis of the three waves of autocratization and democratization by dividing these into the newly discovered stand-alone episodes of autocratization versus Bell-turn episodes, as well as stand-alone episodes of democratization versus U-turn episodes. This analysis suggests that regime volatility has increased in recent years, as a larger share of both autocratization and democratization are made up of Bell-turns and U-turns, respectively. Fifth, out of the 60 countries holding national elections this year, 31 countries are in some degree of decline in democracy, while only three are improving on democracy.
|
|
| 15. |
- Arrington, N. A.N.C.Y., et al.
(författare)
-
Constitutional Reform and the Gender Diversification of Peak Courts
- 2021
-
Ingår i: American Political Science Review. - 0003-0554 .- 1537-5943. ; 115:3, s. 851-868
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Do the processes states use to select judges for peak courts influence gender diversity? Scholars have debated whether concentrating appointment power in a single individual or diffusing appointment power across many individuals best promotes gender diversification. Others have claimed that the precise structure of the process matters less than fundamental changes in the process. We clarify these theoretical mechanisms, derive testable implications concerning the appointment of the first woman to a state's highest court, and then develop a matched-pair research design within a Rosenbaum permutation approach to observational studies. Using a global sample beginning in 1970, we find that constitutional change to the judicial selection process decreases the time until the appointment of the first woman justice. These results reflect claims that point to institutional disruptions as critical drivers of gender diversity on important political posts.
|
|
| 16. |
- Arrington, Nancy, et al.
(författare)
-
Gender Diversity on High Courts
- 2017
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Increasing the diversity of political institutions is believed to improve the quality of political discourse and, subsequently, the quality of political outcomes. Moreover, the presence of diverse officials in positions of power signals the openness and fairness of political institutions. These benets of diversity should be particularly acute in the judiciary, where judges are tasked with the symbolically and substantively powerful duty of interpreting and defending constitutional values. Extant scholarship suggests that well-designed appointment process can promote diversity without explicitly gendered goals, much less quotas. If correct, these proposals raise the possibility of promoting greater diversity without having to resolve politically charged debates about quotas. Yet, scholars disagree about the effects of particular design choices. Worse, estimating causal effects of institutions in observational data is particularly difficult. We develop a research design linked to the empirical implications of existing theoretical arguments to evaluate the effect of institutional change on the gender diversity of peak courts cross-nationally. Speciffically, we consider the effect of an increase (or a decrease) in the number of actors involved in the appointment process. We find mixed results for any existing claim about the role of appointment institutions play in increasing diversity. Yet we also find that any institutional change seems to cause an increase in the gender diversity of peak courts.
|
|
| 17. |
|
|
| 18. |
- Athreya, Venkatesh B., et al.
(författare)
-
Barriers Broken. Production Relations and Agrarian Change in South India
- 1990
-
Bok (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This book studies agrarian change and the factors which have the potential to control and direct the course of such change. Hence it deals with a fundamental issue which has a direct bearing on poverty. Based on a survey of 367 agrarian households in South India, this book systematically compares two major ecotypes in Indian agriculture: rainfed cultivation and irrigated agriculture. The authors link this ecological analysis to class relations, technology, and patterns of agriarian change, especially after the Green Revolution. They then go on to compare land and labour relations, class structures, credit and usurious relations, and agricultural productivity in these two ecotypes.
|
|
| 19. |
- Bartels, L. M., et al.
(författare)
-
The Forum: Global Challenges to Democracy? Perspectives on Democratic Backsliding
- 2023
-
Ingår i: International Studies Review. - 1521-9488. ; 25:2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is a widespread perception that we are witnessing a period of democratic decline, manifesting itself in varieties of democratic backsliding such as the manipulation of elections, marginalization and repression of regime opponents and minorities, or more incremental executive aggrandizement. Yet others are more optimistic and have argued that democracy is in fact resilient, or that we are observing coinciding trends of democratic decline but also expansion. This forum highlights key issues in the debate on democracy's decline, which center on conceptual and measurement issues, agreement on the phenomenon but not its nature or severity, the importance of international factors, the emphasis we should put on political elites versus citizens, and the consequences of backsliding for global politics. Staffan I. Lindberg provides an empirical perspective on the scope and severity of democracy's decline, and argues that polarization and misinformation are important drivers for this current wave of autocratization. Susan D. Hyde highlights the detrimental consequences of reduced support for democracy by the international community, which has affected civil society organizations-important arbiters of democracy-especially severely. Challenging some of these conclusions, Irfan Nooruddin claims that any gains for democracy after the end of the Cold War were short-lived, failing to sustain democracy because of an overemphasis on elections and a disregard for structural factors. Finally, Larry M. Bartels argues that we need to look to political elites and not citizens if we want to protect democracy in the United States and elsewhere, which has important implications for how we study democracy and its challenges.
|
|
| 20. |
- Berglund, Staffan K, et al.
(författare)
-
Effects of iron supplements and perinatal factors on fetal hemoglobin disappearance in LBW infants
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Pediatric Research. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 0031-3998 .- 1530-0447. ; 76:5, s. 477-482
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND:The homeostatic mechanisms of iron metabolism and erythropoiesis in infants are unclear. Infants synthesize both fetal hemoglobin (HbF) and adult hemoglobin (HbA), and it is not known how the hemoglobin switch is regulated. We hypothesized that iron supplements to infants affect the disappearance of HbF. METHODS: We randomized 285 low-birth-weight infants (2,000-2,500g) into three intervention groups receiving 0, 1, or 2 mg/kg/d of iron supplements from 6 wk to 6 mo of age. In the present secondary analysis, we analyzed iron status, total hemoglobin (Hb), and HbF fraction at 6 wk, 12 wk, and at 6 mo and calculated absolute levels of HbF. RESULTS: We observed dose-dependent increased levels of Hb in iron-supplemented groups at 6 mo of age. However, for absolute HbF concentration, there was no similar effect of intervention. Mean (SD) HbF was 81.2 (16.8), 37.0 (13.8), and 8.1 (5.6) g/l at 6 wk, 12 wk, and 6 mo, respectively, similar in all groups. In linear regression analyses, postconceptional age turned out as the major predictor of HbF, independent of gestational age at birth. CONCLUSION: Our hypothesis was rejected. Instead, we confirmed a close correlation to postconceptional age, supporting a genetically programmed switch, insensitive to most environmental factors including birth.
|
|
| 21. |
- Berglund, Staffan K., et al.
(författare)
-
Marginally low birth weight increases the risk of underweight and short stature at three and a half years of age
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Acta Paediatrica. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0803-5253 .- 1651-2227. ; 105:6, s. 610-617
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIM: Little is known about the long-term health of marginally low birth weight (LBW) children. This study characterised growth among infants weighing 2,000g-2,500g and explored the prevalence and predictors of sustained growth restriction.METHOD: This prospective observational trial followed the weight and height of 281 Swedish marginally LBW children from birth to 3.5 years of age. Children with a standard deviation score (SDS) for body mass index or height below -2 were considered underweight and short respectively.RESULTS: The mean SDS for weight and height showed a rapid increase before 12-19 weeks of age. The most rapid weight gain was in infants born small for gestational age. However, at 3.5 years of age, 9.5% of the children remained underweight and 6.5% had short stature. Regression models showed that slow weight gain before 19 weeks of age was the strongest predictor for lasting underweight, while slow height gain before 19 weeks of age and male sex were associated with short stature.CONCLUSION: Marginally LBW infants were more likely to be underweight and have a short stature at 3.5 years of age and the absence of catch-up growth during the first five months after birth identified those at highest risk.
|
|
| 22. |
- Bernhard, M, et al.
(författare)
-
Institutional Subsystems and the Survival of Democracy: Do Political and Civil Society Matter?
- 2015
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- How do two central institutional subsystems of democracy – party systems and civil society –affect the persistence of democratic regimes?Despite the ability of each of these institutions to provide sources of countervailing power that make politicians accountable and thus responsive, distributionist accounts of democratic breakdown provide few insights on how such institutions may encourage parties to reach accommodation. We argue that these institutions provide credible threats against anti-system activities that would otherwise threaten the democratic compromise. We test our argument with newly available data from the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project by analyzing all episodes of democratic breakdown from 1900 -2001. Using a split population event history estimator, we find evidence that these institutions not only forestall the timing of breakdowns among transitional democracies but also that a strong party system is critical to setting democratic regimes on the path of consolidation.
|
|
| 23. |
- Bernhard, M., et al.
(författare)
-
Institutionalising electoral uncertainty and authoritarian regime survival
- 2020
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Political Research. - : Wiley. - 0304-4130 .- 1475-6765. ; 59:2, s. 465-487
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Authoritarian incumbents routinely use democratic emulation as a strategy to extend their tenure in power. Yet, there is also evidence that multiparty competition makes electoral authoritarianism more vulnerable to failure. Proceeding from the assumption that the outcomes of authoritarian electoral openings are inherently uncertain, it is argued in this article that the institutionalisation of elections determines whether electoral authoritarianism promotes stability or vulnerability. By 'institutionalisation', it is meant the ability of authoritarian regimes to reduce uncertainty over outcomes as they regularly hold multiparty elections. Using discrete-time event-history models for competing risks, the effects of sequences of multiparty elections on patterns of regime survival and failure in 262 authoritarian regimes from 1946 to 2010 are assessed, conditioned on their degree of competitiveness. The findings suggest that the institutionalisation of electoral uncertainty enhances authoritarian regime survival. However, for competitive electoral authoritarian regimes this entails substantial risk. The first three elections substantially increase the probability of democratisation, with the danger subsequently diminishing. This suggests that convoking multiparty competition is a risky game with potentially high rewards for autocrats who manage to institutionalise elections. Yet, only a small number of authoritarian regimes survive as competitive beyond the first few elections, suggesting that truly competitive authoritarianism is hard to institutionalise. The study thus finds that the question of whether elections are dangerous or stabilising for authoritarianism is dependent on differences between the ability of competitive and hegemonic forms of electoral authoritarianism to reduce electoral uncertainty.
|
|
| 24. |
- Bernhard, M., et al.
(författare)
-
Making Embedded Knowledge Transparent: How the V-Dem Dataset Opens New Vistas in Civil Society Research
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Perspectives on Politics. - : Cambridge University Press (CUP). - 1537-5927 .- 1541-0986. ; 15:2, s. 342-360
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We show how the V-Dem data opens new possibilities for studying civil society in comparative politics. We explain how V-Dem was able to extract embedded expert knowledge to create a novel set of civil society indicators for 173 countries from 1900 to the present. This data overcomes shortcomings in the basis on which inference has been made about civil society in the past by avoiding problems of sample bias that make generalization difficult or tentative. We begin with a discussion of the reemergence of civil society as a central concept in comparative politics. We then turn to the shortcomings of the existing data and discusses how the V-Dem data can overcome them. We introduce the new data, highlighting two new indicesthe core civil society index (CCSI) and the civil society participation index (CSPI)and explain how the individual indicators and the indices were created. We then demonstrate how the CCSI uses embedded expert knowledge to capture the development of civil society on the national level in Venezuela, Ghana, and Russia. We close by using the new indices to examine the dispute over whether post-communist civil society is weak. Time-series cross-sectional analysis using 2,999 country-year observations between 1989 and 2012 fails to find that post-communist civil society is substantially different from other regions, but that there are major differences between the post-Soviet subsample and other post-communist countries both in relation to other regions and each other.
|
|
| 25. |
- Bernhard, M., et al.
(författare)
-
Parties, Civil Society, and the Deterrence of Democratic Defection
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Studies in Comparative International Development. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0039-3606 .- 1936-6167. ; 55, s. 1-26
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The third wave of democratization has given way to a reverse wave of autocratization. A critical question is what can be done to prevent democratic breakdowns and make democracy endure. A large body of historical-narrative and small-N comparative scholarship has suggested that an active mobilized civil society and institutionalized political parties can be mobilized to protect democracy from authoritarian takeovers. We provide the first rigorous set of empirical analyses to test this argument using data from the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project for the period from 1900 to 2010. We find that both exert a robust, independent, and substantial effect on the survival of democracies. These findings have important policy implications for the international community.
|
|
| 26. |
|
|
| 27. |
- Bernhard, Michael, et al.
(författare)
-
The Varieties of Democracy Core Civil Society Index
- 2015
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This paper introduces the Core Civil Society Index (CCSI), a measure of the robustness of civil society, using indicators from the Varieties of Democracy battery on civil society. It begins with a discussion of the reemergence of civil society as a central concept in comparative politics and discusses the existing state of data to capture it. It then discusses the conceptualization behind the CCSI and the construction of the measure. This is followed by a series of face and discriminant validity checks. The paper closes with an example of the CCSI’s utility by examining the question of whether postcommunist civil society is “weak” compared to other regions. We find no evidence that postcommunist civil society is less robust than civil society in other major world regions via time - series cross - sectional analysis using 2999 country - year observations between 1989 and 2012.
|
|
| 28. |
- Bizzarro, Fernando, et al.
(författare)
-
Party Strength and Economic Growth
- 2015
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- While a large literature suggests an important role for political parties in economic development, this is the first attempt to lay out a comprehensive theory and a reasonably comprehensive empirical test of the proposition. We argue that strong parties broaden the constituencies to which policy makers respond and help politicians solve coordination problems. These features help ensure better economic management, public services, and political stability. And this, in turn, enhances economic growth. Drawing on a novel measure of party strength from the Varieties of Democracy dataset, we test this theory on data drawn from more than 150 countries, observed annually from 1900–2012. We identify a sizeable effect which is robust to various specifications, estimators, and samples. The effect operates in both democracies and autocracies and is fairly stable across regions and time periods. We also find provisional evidence in favor of causal mechanisms pertaining to public services and political stability.
|
|
| 29. |
- Bizzarro, Fernando, et al.
(författare)
-
Party Strength and Economic Growth
- 2018
-
Ingår i: World Politics. - 0043-8871 .- 1086-3338. ; 70:2, s. 275-320
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © Trustees of Princeton University 2018. While a large literature suggests an important role for political parties in development, this article is the first attempt to layout and test a comprehensive theory connecting parties to economic growth. The authors argue that strong parties broaden the constituencies to which policymakers respond and help politicians solve coordination problems. These features help to ensure better economic management, public services, and political stability. And this, in turn, enhances economic growth. Drawing on a novel measure of party strength from the Varieties of Democracy data set, the authors test this theory on data drawn from more than 150 countries observed annually from 1901-2010. They identify a sizeable effect that is robust to various specifications, estimators, and samples. The effect operates in both democracies and autocracies, and is fairly stable across regions and time periods.
|
|
| 30. |
- Boese, Vanessa Alexandra, et al.
(författare)
-
Deterring Dictatorship: Explaining Democratic Resilience since 1900
- 2020
-
Ingår i: SSRN Electronic Journal. - Göteborg : Göteborgs universitet. - 1556-5068.
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Democracy is under threat globally from democratically elected leaders engaging in erosion of media freedom, civil society, and the rule of law. What distinguishes democracies that prevail against the forces of autocratization? This article breaks new ground by conceptualizing democratic resilience as a two-stage process, whereby democracies first exhibit resilience by avoiding autocratization altogether and second, by avoiding democratic breakdown given that autocratization has occurred. To model this two-stage process, we introduce the Episodes of Regime Transformation (ERT) dataset tracking autocratization since 1900. These data demonstrate the extraordinary nature of the current wave of autocratization: Fifty-nine (61%) episodes of democratic regression in the ERT began after 1992. Since then, autocratization episodes have killed an unprecedented 36 democratic regimes. Using a selection-model, we simultaneously test for factors that make democracies more prone to experience democratic regression and, given this, factors that explain democratic breakdown. Results from the explanatory analysis suggest that constraints on the executive are positively associated with a reduced risk of autocratization. Once autocratization is ongoing, we find that a long history of democratic institutions, durable judicial constraints on the executive, and more democratic neighbours are factors that make democracy more likely to prevail.
|
|
| 31. |
- Boese, Vanessa Alexandra, et al.
(författare)
-
How democracies prevail: democratic resilience as a two-stage process
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Democratization. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1351-0347 .- 1743-890X. ; 28:5, s. 885-907
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article introduces a novel conceptualization of democratic resilience - a two-stage process where democracies avoid democratic declines altogether or avert democratic breakdown given that such autocratization is ongoing. Drawing on the Episodes of Regime Transformation (ERT) dataset, we find that democracies have had a high level of resilience to onset of autocratization since 1900. Nevertheless, democratic resilience has become substantially weaker since the end of the Cold War. Fifty-nine episodes of sustained and substantial declines in democratic practices have occurred since 1993, leading to the unprecedented breakdown of 36 democratic regimes. Ominously, we find that once autocratization begins, only one in five democracies manage to avert breakdown. We also analyse which factors are associated with each stage of democratic resilience. The results suggest that democracies are more resilient when strong judicial constraints on the executive are present and democratic institutions were strong in the past. Conversely and adding nuance to the literature, economic development is only associated with resilience to onset of autocratization, not to resilience against breakdown once autocratization has begun.
|
|
| 32. |
- Boese, Vanessa Alexandra, et al.
(författare)
-
State of the world 2021: autocratization changing its nature?
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Democratization. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1351-0347 .- 1743-890X. ; 29:6, s. 983-1013
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article analyses the state of democracy around the world in 2021. The level of democracy enjoyed by the average global citizen in 2021 was down to 1989 levels. In 2021, autocracies were on the rise, harbouring 70% of the world population, or 5.4 billion people. There was also a record number of countries autocratizing in 2021: 33 countries, home to 36% of the global population. In recent years, the EU seems to be facing its own wave of autocratization, with 20% of its members autocratizing over the last decade. In addition to the continued downturn in global democracy, this article documents several signs that autocratization is changing in nature. Polarization increased substantially and signi?cantly in 40 countries between 2011 and 2021, and our analysis indicates that polarization increasingly damages democracy especially recently and under anti-pluralist governments. Over the past decade, the data also shows that autocratic governments more frequently used misinformation to shape domestic and international opinion. Finally, with ?ve military coups and one self-coup, 2021 featured an unprecedented increase in coups for this century. These coups contributed to the uptick in the number of closed autocracies in 2021 and seem to signal a shift toward emboldened autocratic actors.
|
|
| 33. |
- Boese, Vanessa Alexandra, et al.
(författare)
-
Waves of autocratization and democratization: a rejoinder
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Democratization. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1351-0347 .- 1743-890X. ; 28:6, s. 1202-1210
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This is a response to Luca Tomini's "Don't think of a wave!" and Svend-Erik Skaaning's "Waves of autocratization and democratization". With this rejoinder we make three arguments: First, the question how global waves shape autocratization processes and regime transformations is now more urgent than ever. Since 1994, civil liberties and political rights of one third of the global population have been substantially and increasingly reduced due to autocratization. Second, waves of any concept can only be studied meaningfully if the underlying concepts as well as the waves are clearly defined. We argue that the conceptualization of episodes of regime transformations (ERT) in the ERT dataset provides exactly such a clear state-of-the-art empirical mapping of processes of democratization and autocratization at the national level. In addition, we highlight how our conceptualization of waves builds upon Huntington, 1993. It even improves upon it by allowing for overlap and modelling it closer to its real world counterpart. Third, we view the present debate as a prime example of fruitful scholastic argument. Ultimately, this is what will generate a better understanding of global trends of democratization and autocratization.
|
|
| 34. |
- Bäck, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
-
Cabinets, Prime Ministers and Corruption. A Comparative Analysis of Parliamentary Governments in Post-War Europe
- 2016
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Why are some states more corrupt than others? Previous research explaining corruption suggests that multiparty governments are associated with higher levels of corruption since it is difficult for voters to hold parties in such cabinets accountable. Drawing on the literature on coalition governance, we suggest that a lack of government corruption has more to do with the ability of other key political actors to control the agents that have been delegated power in cabinet. We use a new dataset (Varieties of Democracy), giving us more specific measures on governmental corruption across a longer time-period. We show that corruption is significantly lower when the Prime Minister (PM) has strong constitutional powers, suggesting that the PM as a principal reduces agency problems.
|
|
| 35. |
- Bäck, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
-
Cabinets, Prime Ministers and Corruption. A Comparative Analysis of Parliamentary Governments in Post-war Europe
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Political Studies. - : SAGE Publications. - 0032-3217 .- 1467-9248. ; 67:1, s. 149-170
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Why are some states more corrupt than others? Drawing on the literature on governance in parliamentary democracies, we suggest that the degree of corruption depends on the ability of key political actors to control ministers who have been delegated power. We argue that the Prime Minister has incentives to limit corruption within the cabinet and has the ability to do so when there are certain “control mechanisms” at hand. One such mechanism is the PM’s ability to fire or demote ministers who are not behaving in accordance with his or her wishes. We hypothesize that governmental corruption will be lower in systems where the constitution grants the PM strong powers. Using a new dataset (Varieties of Democracy), which provides more specific measures on high-level corruption across a longer time period, we analyze corruption in 26 West and East European democracies over the post-war period and find support for our hypothesis.
|
|
| 36. |
|
|
| 37. |
- Coppedge, M, et al.
(författare)
-
Conceptualizing and Measuring Democracy: A New Approach
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Perspectives on Politics. - 1537-5927 .- 1541-0986. ; 9:2, s. 247-267
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the wake of the Cold War, democracy has gained the status of a mantra. Yet there is no consensus about how to conceptualize and measure regimes such that meaningful comparisons can be made through time and across countries. In this prescriptive article, we argue for a new approach to conceptualization and measurement. We first review some of the weaknesses among traditional approaches. We then lay out our approach, which may be characterized as historical, multidimensional, disaggregated, and transparent. We end by reviewing some of the payoffs such an approach might bring to the study of democracy.
|
|
| 38. |
- Coppedge, M, et al.
(författare)
-
Measuring High-Level Democratic Principles using the V-Dem Data
- 2015
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- While the definition of extended conceptions of democracy has been widely discussed, the measurement of these constructs has not attracted similar attention. In this paper we present new measures of polyarchy, liberal democracy, deliberative democracy, egalitarian democracy, and participatory democracy that cover most polities in the period 1900 to 2013. These indices are based on data from a large number of indicators collected through the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project. A discussion of the theoretical considerations and the concrete formula linked to our aggregation of indicators and components into high level measures is followed by an illustration of how these measures reflect variations in quality of democracy, given the respective ideals, in 2012. In the conclusion we urge scholars to make use of the rich dataset made available by V-Dem.
|
|
| 39. |
- Coppedge, Michael, et al.
(författare)
-
The Methodology of “Varieties of Democracy” (V-Dem)
- 2019
-
Ingår i: BMS Bulletin of Sociological Methodology/ Bulletin de Methodologie Sociologique. - : SAGE Publications. - 0759-1063 .- 2070-2779. ; 143, s. 107-133
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article describes and discusses the new generation of methodological responses to measuring democracy and related issues generated by Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem). V-Dem is distinct in several regards in addition to its unique level of disaggregation, by the combination of: historical data extending back to 1900 and for a large selection among them to 1789 for many countries in the world; use of multiple, independent coders for each evaluative question; inter-coder reliability tests incorporated into a custom designed Bayesian item-response theory measurement model; provision of confidence bounds for all point estimates associated with expert-coded questions as well as for all indices; multiple indices reflecting varying theories of democracy; fully transparent aggregation procedures; and that all data are made freely available, including original coder-level judgments (exclusive of any personal identifying information).
|
|
| 40. |
- Coppedge, Michael, et al.
(författare)
-
V-Dem Comparisons and Contrasts with Other Measurement Projects
- 2017
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- For policymakers, activists, academics, and citizens around the world the conceptualization and measurement of democracy matters. The needs of democracy promoters and social scientists are convergent. We all need better ways to measure democracy. In the first section of this document we critically review the field of democracy indices. It is important to emphasize that problems identified with extant indices are not easily solved, and some of the issues we raise vis-à-vis other projects might also be raised in the context of the V-Dem project. Measuring an abstract and contested concept such as democracy is hard and some problems of conceptualization and measurement may never be solved definitively. In the second section we discuss in general terms how the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project differs from extant indices and how the novel approach taken by V-Dem might assist the work of activists, professionals, and scholars.
|
|
| 41. |
|
|
| 42. |
- Coppedge, Michael, et al.
(författare)
-
Varieties of Democratic Diffusion: Colonial Networks
- 2015
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- “No man is an island; some countries are, but even so, no country can be regarded as completely self-determined and unaffected by the world beyond its borders” (Coppedge 2012, 301). This is a widely accepted proposition backed by many empirical studies. Yet stating that countries are in some way affected by external forces only hints at the innumerable possible pathways of influence, which have only begun to be explored. This paper builds on Brinks and Coppedge (2006), which reported that geographic neighbors tend to converge toward a shared level of democracy. Here we look at a completely distinct set of networks: that linking colonies and occupied states to their colonizers or occupiers. We find that convergence in levels of liberal democracy is also the dominant tendency in colonial networks when diffusion relationships are properly specified.
|
|
| 43. |
|
|
| 44. |
- Cornell, Agnes, 1981, et al.
(författare)
-
Civil Society, Party Institutionalization, and Democratic Breakdown in the Interwar Period
- 2016
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The relationship between the strength of civil society and democratic survival in the interwar period has been much debated. Prominent studies have questioned the existence of a positive association, arguing that the relationship is conditioned by the level of party institutionalization. This revisionist perspective has been vindicated by case studies of important European cases, in particular Germany and Italy. But due to a lack of cross - national data, neither the direct effect of civil society nor the alternative perspective has so far been subjected to a comprehensive statistical analysis. In this paper we enlist novel data from the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project that enable us to carry out such an assessment of all democratic spells in the interwar years. Our survival analysis demonstrates that a vibrant civil society generally contributed to democratic survival in this period and that this effect was not moderated by the level of party institutionalization.
|
|
| 45. |
- Dash-Wagh, Suvarna, et al.
(författare)
-
Intracellular Delivery of Short Interfering RNA in Rat Organ of Corti Using a Cell-penetrating Peptide PepFect6
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids. - : Elsevier BV. - 2162-2531. ; 1:e61
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- RNA interference (RNAi) using short interfering RNA (siRNA) is an attractive therapeutic approach for treatment of dominant-negative mutations. Some rare missense dominant-negative mutations lead to congenital-hearing impairments. A variety of viral vectors have been tested with variable efficacy for modulating gene expression in inner ear. However, there is concern regarding their safety for clinical use. Here, we report a novel cell-penetrating peptide (CPP)-based nonviral approach for delivering siRNA into inner ear tissue using organotypic cultures as model system. PepFect6 (PF6), a variant of stearyl-TP10, was specially designed for improved delivery of siRNA by facilitating endosomal release. We show that PF6 was internalized by all cells without inducing cytotoxicity in cochlear cultures. PF6/siRNA nanoparticles lead to knockdown of target genes, a housekeeping gene and supporting cell-specific connexin 26. Interestingly, application of PF6/connexin 26 siRNA exhibited knockdown of both connexin 26 and 30 mRNA and their absence led to impaired intercellular communication as demonstrated by reduced transfer of calcein among the PF6/connexin 26-siRNA-treated cells. Thus, we conclude that PF6 is an efficient nonviral vector for delivery of siRNA, which can be applied as a tool for the development of siRNA-based therapeutic applications for hearing impairments.
|
|
| 46. |
|
|
| 47. |
- Djurfeldt, Göran, et al.
(författare)
-
Agrarian Change and Social Mobility in Tamil Nadu
- 2008
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This is a study of social mobility over 25 years in six villages in the former Tiruchy District in Tamil Nadu. The two most important external drivers are local industrialization and social policy in a broad sense. In a mainly descriptive analysis, it is shown that the overall effect seems to be a centripetal tendency in agrarian structure, with tendencies towards a strengthened position for family farming and for both the topdogs and the underdogs in the old agrarian society to leave agriculture altogether, seeking improved life chances in the non-agrarian economy, both inside the villages and in the wider economy. The descriptive analysis in this article is followed up with a modelling exercise in an accompanying article.
|
|
| 48. |
|
|
| 49. |
|
|
| 50. |
|
|
