Peter J. Burke and Jan E. Stets
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195388275
- eISBN:
- 9780199943937
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195388275.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Psychology and Interaction
The concept of identity has become widespread within the social and behavioral sciences in recent years, cutting across disciplines from psychiatry and psychology to political science and sociology. ...
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The concept of identity has become widespread within the social and behavioral sciences in recent years, cutting across disciplines from psychiatry and psychology to political science and sociology. All individuals claim particular identities given their roles in society, groups they belong to, and characteristics that describe themselves. Introduced almost thirty years ago, identity theory is a social psychological theory that attempts to understand identities, their sources in interaction and society, their processes of operation, and their consequences for interaction and society from a sociological perspective. This book describes identity theory, its origins, the research that supports it, and its future direction. It covers the relation between identity theory and other related theories, as well as the nature and operation of identities. In addition, the book discusses the multiple identities individuals hold from their multiple positions in society and organizations as well as the multiple identities activated by many people interacting in groups and organizations. Finally, it covers the manner in which identities offer both stability and change to individuals. Step by step, the book makes the full range of this powerful new theory understandable.Less
The concept of identity has become widespread within the social and behavioral sciences in recent years, cutting across disciplines from psychiatry and psychology to political science and sociology. All individuals claim particular identities given their roles in society, groups they belong to, and characteristics that describe themselves. Introduced almost thirty years ago, identity theory is a social psychological theory that attempts to understand identities, their sources in interaction and society, their processes of operation, and their consequences for interaction and society from a sociological perspective. This book describes identity theory, its origins, the research that supports it, and its future direction. It covers the relation between identity theory and other related theories, as well as the nature and operation of identities. In addition, the book discusses the multiple identities individuals hold from their multiple positions in society and organizations as well as the multiple identities activated by many people interacting in groups and organizations. Finally, it covers the manner in which identities offer both stability and change to individuals. Step by step, the book makes the full range of this powerful new theory understandable.
Yuriko Saito
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199278350
- eISBN:
- 9780191707001
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199278350.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics
Everyday aesthetic experiences and concerns occupy a large part of our aesthetic life. However, because of their prevalence and mundane nature, we tend not to pay much attention to them, let alone ...
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Everyday aesthetic experiences and concerns occupy a large part of our aesthetic life. However, because of their prevalence and mundane nature, we tend not to pay much attention to them, let alone examine their significance. Western aesthetic theories of the last two centuries also neglect everyday aesthetics because of their almost exclusive emphasis on art. This book aims to correct this neglect by revealing how our everyday aesthetic tastes and judgments can exert a powerful influence on the state of the world and the quality of life. By analyzing a wide range of contemporary examples from our aesthetic interactions with nature, the environment, and everyday objects, as well as precedents in 18th century British aesthetics, 19th century American landscape appreciation, and Japanese culture, this book illustrates the complex nature of seemingly simple and innocuous aesthetic responses. The issues discussed include the inadequacy of art-centered aesthetics, diverse modes of practicing everyday aesthetics, the environmental ramifications of our everyday aesthetic tastes and judgments, green aesthetics, the aesthetic appreciation of the distinctive characteristics of objects and phenomena, responses to various manifestations of transience, and the aesthetic experience of moral values. The discussion of each issue explores the complex nature of everyday aesthetics, as well as the power of the aesthetic, by illuminating its serious moral, political, existential, and environmental implications that are often unrecognized.Less
Everyday aesthetic experiences and concerns occupy a large part of our aesthetic life. However, because of their prevalence and mundane nature, we tend not to pay much attention to them, let alone examine their significance. Western aesthetic theories of the last two centuries also neglect everyday aesthetics because of their almost exclusive emphasis on art. This book aims to correct this neglect by revealing how our everyday aesthetic tastes and judgments can exert a powerful influence on the state of the world and the quality of life. By analyzing a wide range of contemporary examples from our aesthetic interactions with nature, the environment, and everyday objects, as well as precedents in 18th century British aesthetics, 19th century American landscape appreciation, and Japanese culture, this book illustrates the complex nature of seemingly simple and innocuous aesthetic responses. The issues discussed include the inadequacy of art-centered aesthetics, diverse modes of practicing everyday aesthetics, the environmental ramifications of our everyday aesthetic tastes and judgments, green aesthetics, the aesthetic appreciation of the distinctive characteristics of objects and phenomena, responses to various manifestations of transience, and the aesthetic experience of moral values. The discussion of each issue explores the complex nature of everyday aesthetics, as well as the power of the aesthetic, by illuminating its serious moral, political, existential, and environmental implications that are often unrecognized.
Adrienne Lehrer
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195307931
- eISBN:
- 9780199867493
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195307931.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Theoretical Linguistics
The vocabulary of wine is large and exceptionally vibrant—from straight-forward descriptive words like “sweet” and “fragrant”, colorful metaphors like “ostentatious” and “brash”, to the more ...
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The vocabulary of wine is large and exceptionally vibrant—from straight-forward descriptive words like “sweet” and “fragrant”, colorful metaphors like “ostentatious” and “brash”, to the more technical lexicon of biochemistry. The world of wine vocabulary is growing alongside the current popularity of wine itself, particularly as new words are employed by professional wine writers, who not only want to write interesting prose, but avoid repetition and cliché. The question is: what do these words mean? Can they actually reflect the objective characteristics of wine, and can two drinkers really use and understand these words in the same way? This book explores whether or not wine drinkers (both novices and experts) can in fact understand wine words in the same way. The conclusion, based on experimental results, is no. Even though experts do somewhat better than novices in some experiments, they tend to do well only on wines on which they are carefully trained and/or with which they are very familiar. Does this mean that the elaborate language we use to describe wine is essentially a charade? This book shows that although scientific wine writing requires a precise and shared use of language, drinking wine and talking about it in casual, informal setting with friends is different, and the conversational goals include social bonding as well as communicating information about the wine. The book also shows how language innovation and language play, clearly seen in the names of new wines and wineries, as well as wine descriptors, is yet another influence on the burgeoning and sometimes whimsical world of wine vocabulary.Less
The vocabulary of wine is large and exceptionally vibrant—from straight-forward descriptive words like “sweet” and “fragrant”, colorful metaphors like “ostentatious” and “brash”, to the more technical lexicon of biochemistry. The world of wine vocabulary is growing alongside the current popularity of wine itself, particularly as new words are employed by professional wine writers, who not only want to write interesting prose, but avoid repetition and cliché. The question is: what do these words mean? Can they actually reflect the objective characteristics of wine, and can two drinkers really use and understand these words in the same way? This book explores whether or not wine drinkers (both novices and experts) can in fact understand wine words in the same way. The conclusion, based on experimental results, is no. Even though experts do somewhat better than novices in some experiments, they tend to do well only on wines on which they are carefully trained and/or with which they are very familiar. Does this mean that the elaborate language we use to describe wine is essentially a charade? This book shows that although scientific wine writing requires a precise and shared use of language, drinking wine and talking about it in casual, informal setting with friends is different, and the conversational goals include social bonding as well as communicating information about the wine. The book also shows how language innovation and language play, clearly seen in the names of new wines and wineries, as well as wine descriptors, is yet another influence on the burgeoning and sometimes whimsical world of wine vocabulary.
Arad Reisberg
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199204892
- eISBN:
- 9780191709487
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199204892.003.0006
- Subject:
- Law, Company and Commercial Law
This chapter develops a model to analyse and explain the use of the derivative action referred to as the Functional and Focused Model (FFM). It is organized in two parts. Part A provides the setting. ...
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This chapter develops a model to analyse and explain the use of the derivative action referred to as the Functional and Focused Model (FFM). It is organized in two parts. Part A provides the setting. Section 5.2 discusses the role of derivative actions in the corporate governance matrix. Section 5.3 then discusses the specific role that the derivative action may play in such a constantly changing system. The various points teased out throughout the preceding discussion are finally crystallized in Part B of the chapter. First, section 5.4.1 sets out the aims of the model, followed by an outline and the policy premises underlying the FFM. Section 5.4.2 then unearths and illuminates the value of deterrence against corporate misconduct. Section 5.4.3 considers strategies that can be pursued to reverse the negative effects of those forces that weaken the social meaning of derivative actions. Subsequently, these key characteristics are reduced to practical recommendations in Section 5.4.4.Less
This chapter develops a model to analyse and explain the use of the derivative action referred to as the Functional and Focused Model (FFM). It is organized in two parts. Part A provides the setting. Section 5.2 discusses the role of derivative actions in the corporate governance matrix. Section 5.3 then discusses the specific role that the derivative action may play in such a constantly changing system. The various points teased out throughout the preceding discussion are finally crystallized in Part B of the chapter. First, section 5.4.1 sets out the aims of the model, followed by an outline and the policy premises underlying the FFM. Section 5.4.2 then unearths and illuminates the value of deterrence against corporate misconduct. Section 5.4.3 considers strategies that can be pursued to reverse the negative effects of those forces that weaken the social meaning of derivative actions. Subsequently, these key characteristics are reduced to practical recommendations in Section 5.4.4.
Sharan Jagpal
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195371055
- eISBN:
- 9780199870745
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195371055.003.0003
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Marketing
This chapter provides an analytical approach for defining the market. It shows the importance of explicitly evaluating consumer perceptions and perceived product benefits when defining the boundaries ...
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This chapter provides an analytical approach for defining the market. It shows the importance of explicitly evaluating consumer perceptions and perceived product benefits when defining the boundaries of an industry. In particular, it discusses the implications of market definition for measuring managerial performance, designing managerial incentive plans, choosing organizational structure, and optimizing resource allocation.Less
This chapter provides an analytical approach for defining the market. It shows the importance of explicitly evaluating consumer perceptions and perceived product benefits when defining the boundaries of an industry. In particular, it discusses the implications of market definition for measuring managerial performance, designing managerial incentive plans, choosing organizational structure, and optimizing resource allocation.
Ichiro Kawachi and Lisa F. Berkman (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195138382
- eISBN:
- 9780199865505
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195138382.001.0001
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
Do places make a difference to people's health and well-being? This book demonstrates how the physical and social characteristics of a neighborhood can shape the health of its residents. Researchers ...
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Do places make a difference to people's health and well-being? This book demonstrates how the physical and social characteristics of a neighborhood can shape the health of its residents. Researchers have long suspected that where one lives makes a difference to health in addition to who one is. Almost everyone understands that smoking, unhealthy eating, lack of exercise can compromise longevity and good health, but can a person's ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle be affected by the smoking habits of other people close by, or access to grocery stores, or the existence of safe parks and recreational space? The answers to this question and other similar ones require new ways of thinking about the determinants of health as well as new analytical methods to test these ideas. This book brings together these ideas and new methods. The book contains various parts. The first part deals with methodological complexities of undertaking neighborhood research. The second part showcases the empirical evidence linking neighborhood conditions to health outcomes. The last part tackles some of the major cross-cutting themes in contemporary neighborhood research.Less
Do places make a difference to people's health and well-being? This book demonstrates how the physical and social characteristics of a neighborhood can shape the health of its residents. Researchers have long suspected that where one lives makes a difference to health in addition to who one is. Almost everyone understands that smoking, unhealthy eating, lack of exercise can compromise longevity and good health, but can a person's ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle be affected by the smoking habits of other people close by, or access to grocery stores, or the existence of safe parks and recreational space? The answers to this question and other similar ones require new ways of thinking about the determinants of health as well as new analytical methods to test these ideas. This book brings together these ideas and new methods. The book contains various parts. The first part deals with methodological complexities of undertaking neighborhood research. The second part showcases the empirical evidence linking neighborhood conditions to health outcomes. The last part tackles some of the major cross-cutting themes in contemporary neighborhood research.
Joseph E. Stiglitz, José Antonio Ocampo, Shari Spiegel, Ricardo Ffrench-Davis, and Deepak Nayyar
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199288144
- eISBN:
- 9780191603884
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199288143.003.0004
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Though macroeconomics was developed for developed countries, developing countries often use this corpus of knowledge — with its competing schools of thought — without any significant modification. It ...
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Though macroeconomics was developed for developed countries, developing countries often use this corpus of knowledge — with its competing schools of thought — without any significant modification. It is by no means clear that applying these theories to developing countries is either justified or appropriate. This chapter examines the differences in macroeconomic policy between developing and developed countries. The basic macroeconomic aggregates: output, employment, and inflation are, of course, the same for both developed and developing economies. So too are the basic identities and equilibrium conditions: savings must still equal investment, output must equal income, and aggregate demand is the sum of consumption, investment, government expenditures, and net exports. However, systematic differences between the economies of developed and developing countries and between developing countries themselves, such as the relative effectiveness of macroeconomic tools, give rise to large variation in economic outcomes and policy choices.Less
Though macroeconomics was developed for developed countries, developing countries often use this corpus of knowledge — with its competing schools of thought — without any significant modification. It is by no means clear that applying these theories to developing countries is either justified or appropriate. This chapter examines the differences in macroeconomic policy between developing and developed countries. The basic macroeconomic aggregates: output, employment, and inflation are, of course, the same for both developed and developing economies. So too are the basic identities and equilibrium conditions: savings must still equal investment, output must equal income, and aggregate demand is the sum of consumption, investment, government expenditures, and net exports. However, systematic differences between the economies of developed and developing countries and between developing countries themselves, such as the relative effectiveness of macroeconomic tools, give rise to large variation in economic outcomes and policy choices.
Patrick R. Laughlin
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691147918
- eISBN:
- 9781400836673
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691147918.003.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology
This introductory chapter provides an overview of group problem solving. Group problem solving involves complementary, divisible, optimizing, intellective tasks for which a demonstrably correct ...
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This introductory chapter provides an overview of group problem solving. Group problem solving involves complementary, divisible, optimizing, intellective tasks for which a demonstrably correct answer exists within a conceptual system. Group problem solving may be analyzed in terms of four basic constructs: group task, group structure, group process, and group product. The group task is what the group is attempting to do. Group structure is the organization of the group, including (a) roles, the different positions within the group, (b) norms, the expected beliefs and behaviors for the group members, and (c) member characteristics, the demographic, physical, and psychological attributes of each group member. Group process is how the group members interact with and influence one another. Finally, group product is the collective group response or output. The correspondence of the product to the objective of the group defines success or failure and determines the rewards or punishments for the group members.Less
This introductory chapter provides an overview of group problem solving. Group problem solving involves complementary, divisible, optimizing, intellective tasks for which a demonstrably correct answer exists within a conceptual system. Group problem solving may be analyzed in terms of four basic constructs: group task, group structure, group process, and group product. The group task is what the group is attempting to do. Group structure is the organization of the group, including (a) roles, the different positions within the group, (b) norms, the expected beliefs and behaviors for the group members, and (c) member characteristics, the demographic, physical, and psychological attributes of each group member. Group process is how the group members interact with and influence one another. Finally, group product is the collective group response or output. The correspondence of the product to the objective of the group defines success or failure and determines the rewards or punishments for the group members.
Richard Whitley
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199205172
- eISBN:
- 9780191709555
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199205172.003.0010
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Political Economy
Multinational companies vary considerably in the extent to which they invest key resources in different kinds of market economy and encourage learning from these diverse environments. They therefore ...
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Multinational companies vary considerably in the extent to which they invest key resources in different kinds of market economy and encourage learning from these diverse environments. They therefore differ greatly in the level of organizational innovation and change they undergo as the result of internationalization, and in their development of novel and distinctive characteristics. These variations stem from both the governance and capabilities of the firms concerned, which in turn are connected to their dominant domestic business system characteristics and institutional pressures, and the nature of the business systems to which they commit significant resources. This chapter explores these connections in more detail and shows how companies from different kinds of economies are likely to internationalize their activities in different ways. How three very different ideal types of firms are likely to follow contrasting internationalization strategies is also considered.Less
Multinational companies vary considerably in the extent to which they invest key resources in different kinds of market economy and encourage learning from these diverse environments. They therefore differ greatly in the level of organizational innovation and change they undergo as the result of internationalization, and in their development of novel and distinctive characteristics. These variations stem from both the governance and capabilities of the firms concerned, which in turn are connected to their dominant domestic business system characteristics and institutional pressures, and the nature of the business systems to which they commit significant resources. This chapter explores these connections in more detail and shows how companies from different kinds of economies are likely to internationalize their activities in different ways. How three very different ideal types of firms are likely to follow contrasting internationalization strategies is also considered.
Anthony King (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199253135
- eISBN:
- 9780191599675
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199253137.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
A widely held belief concerning democratic elections is that the votes of many individuals are influenced by their assessments of the competing candidates’ personalities and other personal ...
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A widely held belief concerning democratic elections is that the votes of many individuals are influenced by their assessments of the competing candidates’ personalities and other personal characteristics and that, as a consequence, the outcomes of entire democratic elections are often decided by ‘personality factors’ of this type. Experts on the electoral politics of six countries – the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Russia – set out to assess how far this emphasis on personality and personal characteristics is actually warranted by the available empirical evidence. Using a variety of methodologies, the authors seek to isolate and weigh the role played by personality both in influencing individual voters’ behaviour and in deciding election outcomes. They conclude that, even with regard to the United States, the impact of personality on individual voters’ decisions is usually quite small and that, more often than not, it cancels out. They also conclude that, largely for those reasons, the number of elections whose outcomes have been determined by voters’ assessments of the candidates is likewise quite small : much smaller than is usually supposed. Moreover, there are no signs that the importance of personality factors in determining election outcomes is increasing over time.Less
A widely held belief concerning democratic elections is that the votes of many individuals are influenced by their assessments of the competing candidates’ personalities and other personal characteristics and that, as a consequence, the outcomes of entire democratic elections are often decided by ‘personality factors’ of this type. Experts on the electoral politics of six countries – the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Russia – set out to assess how far this emphasis on personality and personal characteristics is actually warranted by the available empirical evidence. Using a variety of methodologies, the authors seek to isolate and weigh the role played by personality both in influencing individual voters’ behaviour and in deciding election outcomes. They conclude that, even with regard to the United States, the impact of personality on individual voters’ decisions is usually quite small and that, more often than not, it cancels out. They also conclude that, largely for those reasons, the number of elections whose outcomes have been determined by voters’ assessments of the candidates is likewise quite small : much smaller than is usually supposed. Moreover, there are no signs that the importance of personality factors in determining election outcomes is increasing over time.
Francis Wing-lin Lee
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789888028801
- eISBN:
- 9789882207226
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888028801.003.0008
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
Members of street gangs or Triad are usually referred to as “youth-at-risk” or “marginal youth.” There are several approaches that social workers use in analyzing these clients—the conventional ...
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Members of street gangs or Triad are usually referred to as “youth-at-risk” or “marginal youth.” There are several approaches that social workers use in analyzing these clients—the conventional approach, the RGC approach, the group transformation approach, the de-group approach, and the case-in-group approach. However, not all those who have relevant training may be perceived as a good detached worker. Interventions of this sort require social workers to have knowledge of developmental characteristics, the needs of adolescents, small-group theory, and Triad subculture. Social workers must possess programming and organizing skills that aid in developing relationships. Also, these workers have to possess certain personality characteristics for them to be able to facilitate group interventions.Less
Members of street gangs or Triad are usually referred to as “youth-at-risk” or “marginal youth.” There are several approaches that social workers use in analyzing these clients—the conventional approach, the RGC approach, the group transformation approach, the de-group approach, and the case-in-group approach. However, not all those who have relevant training may be perceived as a good detached worker. Interventions of this sort require social workers to have knowledge of developmental characteristics, the needs of adolescents, small-group theory, and Triad subculture. Social workers must possess programming and organizing skills that aid in developing relationships. Also, these workers have to possess certain personality characteristics for them to be able to facilitate group interventions.
Anthony King
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199253135
- eISBN:
- 9780191599675
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199253137.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This is an introductory chapter, which starts with a general discussion of whether leaders’ personalities really matter in determining the outcome of democratic elections, and then considers a number ...
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This is an introductory chapter, which starts with a general discussion of whether leaders’ personalities really matter in determining the outcome of democratic elections, and then considers a number of preliminary points before the country analyses are presented in the following six chapters. The first point is to differentiate between the indirect influences a leader can have on voters and an election outcome (via his influence on his political party or government or administration) and the direct influence of a candidate’s personality or personal characteristics; this book is about the latter. The second point is to define what is meant by ‘personality or personal characteristics’, and the next two points are a discussion of why leaders’ attributes might, or might not, be thought to matter. The fifth point is to suggest analytical strategies for disentangling the effects of leaders’ personalities or personal characteristics from other factors; the three advanced are the experimental, improved–prediction and counterfactual strategies. Next, previous analytical findings are presented for the six countries studied in the book (United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Russia), and finally, hypotheses are offered for explaining when the impact of candidates’ personalities or personal characteristics might be greatest.Less
This is an introductory chapter, which starts with a general discussion of whether leaders’ personalities really matter in determining the outcome of democratic elections, and then considers a number of preliminary points before the country analyses are presented in the following six chapters. The first point is to differentiate between the indirect influences a leader can have on voters and an election outcome (via his influence on his political party or government or administration) and the direct influence of a candidate’s personality or personal characteristics; this book is about the latter. The second point is to define what is meant by ‘personality or personal characteristics’, and the next two points are a discussion of why leaders’ attributes might, or might not, be thought to matter. The fifth point is to suggest analytical strategies for disentangling the effects of leaders’ personalities or personal characteristics from other factors; the three advanced are the experimental, improved–prediction and counterfactual strategies. Next, previous analytical findings are presented for the six countries studied in the book (United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Russia), and finally, hypotheses are offered for explaining when the impact of candidates’ personalities or personal characteristics might be greatest.
Larry M. Bartels
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199253135
- eISBN:
- 9780191599675
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199253137.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The aim of this chapter is to provide a systematic test of the conventional wisdom that personality is key in contemporary American electoral politics. Using survey data from the six most recent ...
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The aim of this chapter is to provide a systematic test of the conventional wisdom that personality is key in contemporary American electoral politics. Using survey data from the six most recent presidential elections, the contours are examines of the candidates’ images (traits), the bases of those images in voters’ more fundamental political predispositions, and the impact of voters’ assessments of the candidates’ personal qualities on individual voting behaviour and on aggregate election outcomes. In stark contrast with the popular conception of contemporary electoral politics as candidate–centred and image–driven, it is argued that candidates’ images are largely epiphenomenal and have only a modest impact on election outcomes. This conclusion is underlined by the analysis given of the 2000 (Bush vs. Gore) presidential election, in which the estimated impact of voters’ assessments of the candidates’ personalities was even smaller than in the previous five elections considered here, although quite probably large enough to be decisive in an election decided by a few hundred votes in a single state.Less
The aim of this chapter is to provide a systematic test of the conventional wisdom that personality is key in contemporary American electoral politics. Using survey data from the six most recent presidential elections, the contours are examines of the candidates’ images (traits), the bases of those images in voters’ more fundamental political predispositions, and the impact of voters’ assessments of the candidates’ personal qualities on individual voting behaviour and on aggregate election outcomes. In stark contrast with the popular conception of contemporary electoral politics as candidate–centred and image–driven, it is argued that candidates’ images are largely epiphenomenal and have only a modest impact on election outcomes. This conclusion is underlined by the analysis given of the 2000 (Bush vs. Gore) presidential election, in which the estimated impact of voters’ assessments of the candidates’ personalities was even smaller than in the previous five elections considered here, although quite probably large enough to be decisive in an election decided by a few hundred votes in a single state.
Frank Brettschneider and Oscar W. Gabriel
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199253135
- eISBN:
- 9780191599675
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199253137.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The federal elections of 1998 were the first time in Germany that notions of personalization and presidentialization were discussed during an election; before that German voters chose, at least ...
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The federal elections of 1998 were the first time in Germany that notions of personalization and presidentialization were discussed during an election; before that German voters chose, at least formally, between competing parties rather than between competing chancellor candidates, and only a minor role was accorded to the personalities and circumstances of candidates. The first part of this chapter analyses the role that voters’ orientations towards the chancellor–candidates has played in the broad context of electoral choice, paying particular attention to the influence of candidate orientations on the voting choices of people lacking any long–term party identification; this part of the analysis is based on data pertaining to all the electoral contests fought in Germany from 1961 to 1998. The second part of the chapter analyses the various components of the chancellor–candidates’ images: does the way in which voters evaluate the candidates simply reflect existing patterns of party identification, or do the voters construct their own candidate orientations by fitting separate pieces into a pattern, each of which refers to specific attributes of the candidates as perceived and evaluated by them; and are the proponents of the personalization thesis right in assuming that the candidates’ images are largely determined by the voters’ perceptions of the candidates’ personalities rather than by their performance? These questions are answered with specific reference to data collected by the 1998 German Election Study. Despite the apparent personal favouring of Schröder over Kohl in 1998, it is concluded that there is no real evidence that chancellor–candidates’ personalities and other personal characteristics play any stronger role in German voting patterns than they have in the past.Less
The federal elections of 1998 were the first time in Germany that notions of personalization and presidentialization were discussed during an election; before that German voters chose, at least formally, between competing parties rather than between competing chancellor candidates, and only a minor role was accorded to the personalities and circumstances of candidates. The first part of this chapter analyses the role that voters’ orientations towards the chancellor–candidates has played in the broad context of electoral choice, paying particular attention to the influence of candidate orientations on the voting choices of people lacking any long–term party identification; this part of the analysis is based on data pertaining to all the electoral contests fought in Germany from 1961 to 1998. The second part of the chapter analyses the various components of the chancellor–candidates’ images: does the way in which voters evaluate the candidates simply reflect existing patterns of party identification, or do the voters construct their own candidate orientations by fitting separate pieces into a pattern, each of which refers to specific attributes of the candidates as perceived and evaluated by them; and are the proponents of the personalization thesis right in assuming that the candidates’ images are largely determined by the voters’ perceptions of the candidates’ personalities rather than by their performance? These questions are answered with specific reference to data collected by the 1998 German Election Study. Despite the apparent personal favouring of Schröder over Kohl in 1998, it is concluded that there is no real evidence that chancellor–candidates’ personalities and other personal characteristics play any stronger role in German voting patterns than they have in the past.
Richard Johnston
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199253135
- eISBN:
- 9780191599675
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199253137.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
For the case of elections since 1988, this chapter looks at the suggestion made by Andre Siegfried in 1907 that Canadian elections are peculiarly vulnerable to leader effects. It begins by outlining ...
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For the case of elections since 1988, this chapter looks at the suggestion made by Andre Siegfried in 1907 that Canadian elections are peculiarly vulnerable to leader effects. It begins by outlining the specifically Canadian arguments for taking leadership seriously and the evidence said to back them; the arguments are found to refer mainly to ‘indirect’ effects in the sense used by King in Chapter 1 (so that leaders are treated as embodied preferences), with the actual evidence largely silent on the content – personality or otherwise – of Canadian judgments on leaders, at least in so far as those judgments are linked to the vote. Likewise, most accounts control for competing explanations weakly, if at all, and none considers personality for its net, election–day effect. Working through each argument also reveals that each is highly contingent, generally applying more to certain parties or party sizes than others, and more to periods of flux and to new parties than to stable periods and old parties. Filling the gaps requires an account of the personality factors worth taking seriously (the analysis looks at competence and character), a basic estimation strategy setting these attributes into proper context (which is given), and based on this estimation strategy, an accounting for net aggregate effects (also given). The last two sections of the chapter discuss whether perceptions of personality can be modified over the course of a campaign, and give an account of a special sort of ‘indirect’ effect: the case where perceptions of a leader’s personality can be cashed in on perceptions of a policy option (here the proposal for a commercial union between Canada and the United States in 1988).Less
For the case of elections since 1988, this chapter looks at the suggestion made by Andre Siegfried in 1907 that Canadian elections are peculiarly vulnerable to leader effects. It begins by outlining the specifically Canadian arguments for taking leadership seriously and the evidence said to back them; the arguments are found to refer mainly to ‘indirect’ effects in the sense used by King in Chapter 1 (so that leaders are treated as embodied preferences), with the actual evidence largely silent on the content – personality or otherwise – of Canadian judgments on leaders, at least in so far as those judgments are linked to the vote. Likewise, most accounts control for competing explanations weakly, if at all, and none considers personality for its net, election–day effect. Working through each argument also reveals that each is highly contingent, generally applying more to certain parties or party sizes than others, and more to periods of flux and to new parties than to stable periods and old parties. Filling the gaps requires an account of the personality factors worth taking seriously (the analysis looks at competence and character), a basic estimation strategy setting these attributes into proper context (which is given), and based on this estimation strategy, an accounting for net aggregate effects (also given). The last two sections of the chapter discuss whether perceptions of personality can be modified over the course of a campaign, and give an account of a special sort of ‘indirect’ effect: the case where perceptions of a leader’s personality can be cashed in on perceptions of a policy option (here the proposal for a commercial union between Canada and the United States in 1988).
Timothy J. Colton
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199253135
- eISBN:
- 9780191599675
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199253137.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
There are good reasons to suppose that electoral politics will be more leadership driven in a democratizing or semi–democratic nation than in older democratic polities possessing entrenched party ...
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There are good reasons to suppose that electoral politics will be more leadership driven in a democratizing or semi–democratic nation than in older democratic polities possessing entrenched party systems and coherent issue agendas. The Russian Federation’s watershed election of June–July 1996, in which its founding president, Boris Yeltsin, staged a stirring comeback to defeat the neo–Communist opposition and earn a second term in office, offers an opportunity to put this proposition to the test. The chapter demonstrates that the perceptions of the personal characteristics of the presidential candidates exerted substantial effects on the choices of the Russian electorate in 1996. Thorough examination discloses that these, and the underlying dynamic of transitional politics, were highly complex. The different sections of the chapter are: The New Russia and the 1996 Election; Sizing up the Candidates; Leadership Evaluations and the Vote – taking third variables into account, modelling the phenomenon, estimating leadership effects, differences across candidates and voters; and Conclusion.Less
There are good reasons to suppose that electoral politics will be more leadership driven in a democratizing or semi–democratic nation than in older democratic polities possessing entrenched party systems and coherent issue agendas. The Russian Federation’s watershed election of June–July 1996, in which its founding president, Boris Yeltsin, staged a stirring comeback to defeat the neo–Communist opposition and earn a second term in office, offers an opportunity to put this proposition to the test. The chapter demonstrates that the perceptions of the personal characteristics of the presidential candidates exerted substantial effects on the choices of the Russian electorate in 1996. Thorough examination discloses that these, and the underlying dynamic of transitional politics, were highly complex. The different sections of the chapter are: The New Russia and the 1996 Election; Sizing up the Candidates; Leadership Evaluations and the Vote – taking third variables into account, modelling the phenomenon, estimating leadership effects, differences across candidates and voters; and Conclusion.
Ignacio Molinaxs Álvarez De Cienfuegos
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294467
- eISBN:
- 9780191600067
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294468.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Starts with an account of the Spanish administration over the last two decades (to 1997); includes a definition of the Spanish civil service bureaucratic élite as composed at the top level (which ...
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Starts with an account of the Spanish administration over the last two decades (to 1997); includes a definition of the Spanish civil service bureaucratic élite as composed at the top level (which must be filled by public employees) and of senior civil servants who hold political posts. Followed by an analysis of the historical legacy of the Spanish civil service. The next section looks at exactly who the senior civil servants are in relation to the other public employees in the central administration, and in relation to educational background: three different circles of senior bureaucrats are distinguished: a political circle, a politico‐administrative circle, and a bureaucratic circle. Further sections discuss the sociological characteristics of senior officials, the position of the civil servant in the organization, and Spanish civil servants in relation to politics. The conclusion discusses the main structural problems of the Spanish civil service and the constant demands for transformation that there have been over the last two centuries.Less
Starts with an account of the Spanish administration over the last two decades (to 1997); includes a definition of the Spanish civil service bureaucratic élite as composed at the top level (which must be filled by public employees) and of senior civil servants who hold political posts. Followed by an analysis of the historical legacy of the Spanish civil service. The next section looks at exactly who the senior civil servants are in relation to the other public employees in the central administration, and in relation to educational background: three different circles of senior bureaucrats are distinguished: a political circle, a politico‐administrative circle, and a bureaucratic circle. Further sections discuss the sociological characteristics of senior officials, the position of the civil servant in the organization, and Spanish civil servants in relation to politics. The conclusion discusses the main structural problems of the Spanish civil service and the constant demands for transformation that there have been over the last two centuries.
Luc Rouban
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294467
- eISBN:
- 9780191600067
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294468.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
In France, the notion of a senior civil servant is a social rather than a legal one, and senior civil servants may be defined through their role as privileged partners of political power and ...
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In France, the notion of a senior civil servant is a social rather than a legal one, and senior civil servants may be defined through their role as privileged partners of political power and participation in government decision‐making; they are a heterogeneous group of senior managers of the state public administration, whose members share neither the same careers nor prestige nor professional culture, and regard themselves generally as intellectuals rather than as managers. The relationship between senior civil servants and politicians is more ambiguous and closer in the 1990s than it was during the 1960s, and the politicization of the senior civil service has been considerably strengthened, but senior civil servants still consider themselves as representing the permanence of the state, and are still reluctant to talk freely about their political involvements. Whatever the social changes that have occurred during the last 15 years and whatever the political changes, the senior civil service remains strong. An overview of the higher French civil service has to take into account three variables that interact simultaneously: the fundamentally individualistic culture acquired during years of professional training; the decisive role of the grand corps in the career path and in the representation of what is ‘good administrative work’; and the privileged social rank of the higher civil service. This chapter presents the main characteristics of senior public managers in France by trying to highlight signs of an evolution since the 1960s; the different sections look at recruitment and promotion methods, the political activity and mobility of senior civil servants, the internal hierarchy of the civil service, the sociological characteristics of senior public managers, the professional relationships of senior civil servants, the absence of any higher civil service policy, and the debated question of the erosion of higher civil service social status.Less
In France, the notion of a senior civil servant is a social rather than a legal one, and senior civil servants may be defined through their role as privileged partners of political power and participation in government decision‐making; they are a heterogeneous group of senior managers of the state public administration, whose members share neither the same careers nor prestige nor professional culture, and regard themselves generally as intellectuals rather than as managers. The relationship between senior civil servants and politicians is more ambiguous and closer in the 1990s than it was during the 1960s, and the politicization of the senior civil service has been considerably strengthened, but senior civil servants still consider themselves as representing the permanence of the state, and are still reluctant to talk freely about their political involvements. Whatever the social changes that have occurred during the last 15 years and whatever the political changes, the senior civil service remains strong. An overview of the higher French civil service has to take into account three variables that interact simultaneously: the fundamentally individualistic culture acquired during years of professional training; the decisive role of the grand corps in the career path and in the representation of what is ‘good administrative work’; and the privileged social rank of the higher civil service. This chapter presents the main characteristics of senior public managers in France by trying to highlight signs of an evolution since the 1960s; the different sections look at recruitment and promotion methods, the political activity and mobility of senior civil servants, the internal hierarchy of the civil service, the sociological characteristics of senior public managers, the professional relationships of senior civil servants, the absence of any higher civil service policy, and the debated question of the erosion of higher civil service social status.
Charlotte Dargie and Rachel Locke
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294467
- eISBN:
- 9780191600067
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294468.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The aim is to describe the current senior civil service in Britain; in order to do this, recent changes instigated by the Thatcher and Major governments have to be addressed. To explain these ...
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The aim is to describe the current senior civil service in Britain; in order to do this, recent changes instigated by the Thatcher and Major governments have to be addressed. To explain these developments, four analytical themes are used that run through the different reforms of the senior civil service that are to be discussed. These themes are managerialism (private‐sector management styles in the civil service), marketization (introducing markets into civil service operations), agencification (‘hiving off’ civil service functions to separate agencies), and politicization (breaking down the barriers between political and non‐partisan tasks in government). The introduction to the chapter characterizes these four themes. The second section defines the British senior civil service, and further sections assess change through various aspects of the senior civil service: recruitment and promotion; mobility; sociological characteristics of senior officials; and the relationship with the political machinery of government.Less
The aim is to describe the current senior civil service in Britain; in order to do this, recent changes instigated by the Thatcher and Major governments have to be addressed. To explain these developments, four analytical themes are used that run through the different reforms of the senior civil service that are to be discussed. These themes are managerialism (private‐sector management styles in the civil service), marketization (introducing markets into civil service operations), agencification (‘hiving off’ civil service functions to separate agencies), and politicization (breaking down the barriers between political and non‐partisan tasks in government). The introduction to the chapter characterizes these four themes. The second section defines the British senior civil service, and further sections assess change through various aspects of the senior civil service: recruitment and promotion; mobility; sociological characteristics of senior officials; and the relationship with the political machinery of government.
Feargal Cochrane and Seamus Dunn
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195125924
- eISBN:
- 9780199833894
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195125924.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
The “democratic deficit” and significant British and European financial support for civil society have led to the growth of a large voluntary sector in Northern Ireland, including a diverse ...
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The “democratic deficit” and significant British and European financial support for civil society have led to the growth of a large voluntary sector in Northern Ireland, including a diverse collection of peace and conflict‐resolution organizations (P/CROs). P/CROs in Northern Ireland were founded to deal with the symptoms of the conflict, not its real or perceived causes, and member characteristics were largely determined by which symptoms P/CROs focused on; however, most members were broadly left leaning. Some P/CROs targeted specific communities, some sought to influence a broader audience, and others did both. While smaller, less formal P/CROS needed little income, larger groups required more funding, and sometimes had to professionalize in order to secure it, although relationships with funders tended to be relaxed. While P/CROs clearly had no direct impact on the peace process, they did introduce an “inclusivist” philosophy into the political arena, encouraged political debate, and provided an extra tier of progressive leadership.Less
The “democratic deficit” and significant British and European financial support for civil society have led to the growth of a large voluntary sector in Northern Ireland, including a diverse collection of peace and conflict‐resolution organizations (P/CROs). P/CROs in Northern Ireland were founded to deal with the symptoms of the conflict, not its real or perceived causes, and member characteristics were largely determined by which symptoms P/CROs focused on; however, most members were broadly left leaning. Some P/CROs targeted specific communities, some sought to influence a broader audience, and others did both. While smaller, less formal P/CROS needed little income, larger groups required more funding, and sometimes had to professionalize in order to secure it, although relationships with funders tended to be relaxed. While P/CROs clearly had no direct impact on the peace process, they did introduce an “inclusivist” philosophy into the political arena, encouraged political debate, and provided an extra tier of progressive leadership.
